


Into the Light

by TwoBoys2Love



Series: Dark and Light [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Attempted Assault, Bottom Jared, Bottom Jared Padalecki, First Time, First Time Bottoming, Hurt Jared, Hurt Jared Padalecki, M/M, Top Jensen, Top Jensen Ackles, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 13:26:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14935131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoBoys2Love/pseuds/TwoBoys2Love
Summary: Danneel works at “The Dead Reckoning”, a nightclub owned by small-time mob boss, Jared Padalecki. She also brings people in to stay at the club's rooms who need help getting off the streets. Jensen is down on his luck and ends up staying at the club. From the moment he sees Jared, Jensen wants him. But Jared is used to being in control, being alone and being guarded.  It doesn't take long for Jensen to realize he may be in over his head.This is a prequel to a previous story: "Dark Love"





	Into the Light

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to Darklittle heart for the artwork! And Masja, as always! a wonderful beta!!!
> 
>  
> 
> [Art post!](https://darklittleheart96.tumblr.com/post/174876591795)

Jensen ran the length of the alley in less than ten seconds. He shot out onto the busy street and slipped on the wet sidewalk. He barely managed to regain his footing before speeding out into the crowded sidewalk.

The cold, damp air was making his lungs ache but there was no way he was slowing down. Fists pumping, raindrops stinging his face, Jensen headed straight along the sidewalk. He darted out around a lamp post then cut across a parking lot at full speed. He wove between the cars and leaped over a small concrete wall.

As he rounded another corner and sped across a side street, he glanced back over his shoulders and couldn't see the guy running after him.

The guy. An asshole who decided that Jensen was too pretty to stand on a street corner for any other reason than wanting to sell his ass for money. When Jensen had made that clear to the asshole, he had punched him, dragged him down the alley and thrown him on the ground. When the asshole had been unzipping his pants, Jensen's fingers had closed around a rusty piece of rebar.

Now, he was running.

Panting, Jensen slowed his pace slightly. He wiped at his mouth and when he glanced down at the back of his hand it was covered in blood. "Shit."

He slowed down to a jog and finally looked around him. The street looked vaguely familiar – hell, they all did – but Jensen wasn't entirely sure where he was.

He slowed his pace again and walked into the stark, white light that was pouring from the huge windows of a convenience store.

The rain had soaked through his t-shirt and left his hair plastered to his forehead. The asshole had yanked his denim jacket off while trying to convince Jensen that he _was_ a hooker. Asshole. Jensen swiped the hair out of his eyes.

He coughed, the cool air catching in his lungs. Wincing, Jensen poked at his mouth. He hissed in pain when he felt a split on his bottom lip. He grabbed his jaw and opened and closed it a couple of times. It didn't feel broken so that was good news.

Taking a quick look around, Jensen noticed a coffee shop across the street. He needed to get cleaned up and it couldn't hurt to be around people for a while in case the asshole decided he wasn't finished.

When there was a break in the traffic, Jensen jogged across the street. He stopped outside the coffee shop and rubbed his face on his shirt sleeve.

He'd have to get to the washrooms quickly or the woman behind the counter might stop him. Most business were on the lookout for the _street_ type. He took a deep breath and pulled the door open. A bell sounded overhead as a burst of warm, dry air curled around Jensen. He kept his head down. Out of the corner of his eye, Jensen saw the blonde woman behind the counter look up at him.

"Hey there, buddy. You okay?'

Jensen nodded and looked up quickly to see where the washrooms were. "I'm fine, thanks. Just gonna use the bathroom."

"Washrooms are for customers only, hon." The woman looked a little bit nervous as she pointed to the sign on the wall that stated just that.

Jensen slid his hand into the back pocket of his jeans. "Shit."

"Excuse me?" The woman asked.

"I got… a guy… I think I lost my wallet in an alley," Jensen said. _Great_. What little money he had was gone and there was no way he was going back to look for it for a while.

"I think you should go," the blonde said, not unkindly.

Jensen's shoulders fell, and he sighed. "Please. I just want to clean up and I could use-"

"Please just move on."

"Hey, Brianna? I'll get him a coffee and some of that soup of yours," said a high voice somewhere behind Jensen. When he turned around he saw a beautiful, petite, redhead smiling at him. She was sitting in a booth by the window, her thick, red hair pulled up into a cheerful ponytail. 

"The boss gets on my ass about it," Briana said with a smile on her face. "Thanks, Dani. What would you like, hon?"

"Just a coffee," Jensen said after he smiled slightly at the red-headed woman. He hated handouts, but he could already feel himself beginning to shiver and he really wanted to get cleaned up before he tried to find a place to stay for the night.

"And soup." Jensen heard the red-head say as he darted into the bathroom.

-=-=-=-

When Jensen emerged from the bathroom about five minutes later, he didn't feel much better, but at least he was slightly cleaner. A survey of the damage had added up to a split lip, an eye that was getting darker by the second, a bunch of scratches on his face and some bad bruises on his ribs. Oh yeah, and he'd lost his wallet. _Great_ night.

The red-head was still sitting at her table. Jensen scratched his nose, smoothed his damp t-shirt down and headed over to pick up his coffee at the counter. He put some cream and a lot of sugar in it, tossed a stir stick in and then headed over to the window table.

The redhead was looking down at her phone. Her long, bright blue nails were tapping on the sides of her phone case. In her black jeans, tank top and tall boots, she didn't really look like she belonged in the dingy old diner.

Jensen cleared his throat. "Thank you, Ma'am."

When the woman looked up, she frowned. "Ma'am? God, that makes me feel old. Call me Danneel."

"Well, thank you for the coffee, Danneel." Jensen smiled and looked around for an empty table.

"Want to join me? I could use some company and Brianna is bringing you some soup." Danneel smiled and waved one well-manicured hand towards the empty chair opposite her.

It couldn't hurt. She looked pleasant enough. Jensen nodded and pulled the chair out, so he could sit down. 

"You cold?" Danneel asked.

Jensen was a little relieved that she wasn’t asking him about his face; he knew he looked like he’d taken a real beating. As soon as he thought about the question he’d been asked, he realized he was still shivering. "Yeah. Got pretty wet out there."

"Sit closer to the window, the heaters are on, and here…" She held out a hoodie that looked _far_ too big for her slight frame.

Jensen frowned as he reached out for the hoodie. It was warm and dry. He set the coffee down quickly and pulled it over his head. It was a little too big, but it was the warmest thing he'd worn in a month. "Thank you. Is this your… boyfriend's?"

Grinning, Danneel shook her head and her ponytail bobbed. "No, my boss’. I stole it a while back. He didn't wear it all that much anyway."

"Where do you work?" Jensen sipped his coffee and couldn't help wrapping both hands around the mug.

"Dead Reckoning. I run the bar and do some other stuff."

"Isn't that Padalecki's place?" Jensen asked. He knew the name and a bit about the man who owned it. He set his mug down and before he let go of it, Brianna appeared at the table with a bowl of soup. Jensen was so startled that he flinched back and spilled the coffee. Brianna set it down on the table and Jensen thanked her as he tried to calm himself down again. Okay, so he was still a bit skittish.

"You’ve had a bad night." Danneel looked a little sad.

"I had a… run in with a guy." Jensen pulled the soup a little closer and his stomach growled; he hadn't even realized he was hungry. He picked up the spoon and tried to change the subject. "You work for Padalecki?"

"I run his club," Danneel answered. She took a sip of her coffee and nodded at the soup. "Go ahead and eat while it's hot."

Jensen ate a spoonful of soup; it was good. Padalecki was a name that most people in the area knew. The guy owned a few businesses, and a lot of what he did was definitely not legal. Jensen didn’t know a lot of the details; he was still learning the ropes of the city, but he knew enough to be suspicious of the guy.

Danneel's phone binged quietly and she looked down at it. "Oh. Crap. I'm gonna have to go."

"It's fine. I really appreciate you helping me out," Jensen said. He smiled and reached to pull the hoodie off.

"No, no. You keep it," Danneel said as she picked up her bag and slid her phone into the front pocket. "Hey, you never told me your name."

"Oh, I'm Jensen." Jensen smiled when Danneel held out her hand. He shook it, feeling a little self-conscious. It had been a long time since he had shaken hands with someone.

“Listen, Jensen. You seem like a great guy and I think I have a good instinct for these things… I think, maybe you could use some help.” Danneel stood and swung her bag onto her shoulder. “I can help. If you’re interested? Meet me here tomorrow night at the same time and we’ll talk. _Just_ talk, okay?”

Jensen opened his mouth to protest, then couldn’t help thinking about the man who had basically tried to rape him down a filthy alley. Some things were worse than others and maybe hearing about what _help_ might consist of could be a good thing. Just because Danneel ran Padalecki’s club didn’t mean she was in the same business. He nodded and smiled. “Okay, Danneel. Thanks… for everything.”

“Hope I’ll see you tomorrow,” Danneel said brightly. She headed to the door quickly and disappeared out onto the rainy street.

Jensen tugged his hands up into the long sleeves of the hoodie. He was finally starting to warm up but he was also starting to feel really sore. There were a couple of shelters he might be able to get a bed at if he went early enough. He sighed and ate another spoonful of soup. He was going to have to swing back by the alley and see if he could find his wallet which meant heading out into the rain again.

He pulled the mug of coffee closer and looked out the window. It could wait a while.

-=-=-=-

Danneel smoothed her dress down. For once, she was wearing black. The back of the dress was a criss-cross of straps right down to her waist and the full sleeves were half lace. She spun in front of the mirror, fixed a loose strand of hair back into the artful pile on top of her head, then headed out into the Club.

It was early, they were open but no one but committed regulars would be in the Club until about eleven. Danneel cast her gaze around the dimly lit club and spotted the owner sitting over by the far wall with his right-hand man. Jared Padalecki and his _side-kick_ \- as she fondly referred to him - Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

The two men seemed to be together whenever Danneel spotted them. Her heels clicked as she crossed the dance floor and she couldn’t resist giving a little wiggle when Jared and Jeff both looked up. “Hello, boys!”

Laughing, Jeff stood and grabbed Danneel’s hand. He spun her under his arm, then twirled her back out. “Hello, beautiful.”

Grinning, Danneel spun back in and settled her hand on Jeff’s chest as he danced her closer to the center of the dance floor. She tipped her head back to look up at Jeff. His dark eyes looked tired, but then, they always seemed to be working. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days which was the only indication that he probably hadn’t made it home. There was a private gym and shower on the lower floor and she knew Jeff kept clothes at the Club. “How’s he doing tonight?”

“Oh, you know, the usual. He’s worried, but in a good mood,” Jeff said in his trademark gruff voice.

“And you, handsome?” Danneel wrinkled her nose as she smiled up at Jeff. She liked Jeff, he was sweet and kind and, on top of all that, he was damned handsome.

“I’m a bit tired, but I’m told I can go home in a while.” Jeff sighed and dipped Danneel. 

Danneel squeaked in delight and when Jeff pulled her back up, she popped up on to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I’ll keep him occupied for a while. I want to talk to him about a few things.”

Jeff finally released Danneel’s hand and bowed slightly. “See you later, gorgeous.”

Still smiling, Danneel headed over to Jared’s table. Even though the entire booth was empty, she slid onto the bench right beside Jared and slid up close to his side. His arm slipped around her waist and he leaned down to kiss her temple. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Danneel said. She looked up at Jared and studied his face. He looked distracted, there were creases in his brow and he was chewing on the side of his bottom lip. There was always something on Jared’s mind - that was the nature of his business. 

Danneel tried to keep out of the _day to day_ minutia of what Jared did. She didn’t want to know. She wasn’t a fool; she knew that a lot of the Padalecki business was illegal. The thing was, she also _knew_ Jared. He was a good man, with good instincts. A lot of what Danneel was able to do was solely because of Jared; without him, things would be very different for her.

“How are you doing, Jared?” Danneel stole the glass in front of Jared, sniffed it, then sipped the whiskey. “You’re drinking the Oban, must have been a rough day.”

Jared’s expression softened and he smiled. “How is it that you hardly ever drink and yet you can identify all the whiskeys behind the bar?”

“I’m good at my job,” Danneel said as she winked. “So? Rough day?”

Sighing, Jared took a sip of the whiskey and set it down again. “Yeah, not the greatest, but we’ve got it all worked out. I’m probably going to head home after this. What’s on your mind?”

More than anyone, Danneel knew that Jared’s time was precious. He always took time to speak with her, but she didn't like to take advantage of his generosity. “There’s someone I want to bring in. I’d like to help him.”

“Him?” Jared asked. he turned slightly on the bench so he could see Danneel better.

“Yes, I know I usually work with women but this one is special,” Danneel said. Jensen had been on her mind since she’d left him at the cafe.

“You think they’re all special.”

“I do.” Danneel smiled and reached out for Jared’s hand. She wove their fingers together and looked up at him. “There’s something _really_ special about him. He wasn’t looking so great when I ran into him, looked like he’d been on the receiving end of a beating.”

“And you want to bring him here?” Jared’s brow furrowed and he brushed his thumb over the back of Danneel’s hand.

“Yeah. Jared, I can’t explain it. My gut instinct I guess… and something in this kid’s eyes.”

“Kid? How old is he?”

“Probably eighteen, maybe as old at twenty-one. I’m not sure, didn’t ask. I just really felt for him. He’s sweet, charming, polite… you’ll like him,” Danneel said. She knew that Jared didn’t really get to know any of the people that she brought into the Club, but she already had an inkling that Jensen might be different.

“It doesn’t matter if I like him,” Jared said with a smile. “I trust your judgment.”

“Honestly? I don’t think he belongs on the streets. There’s something different about him, something, I don’t know… strong but lonely at the same time. I think he needs to be around people.”

“It’s human nature to need people,” Jared said quietly.

“What about you?” Dannel risked asking. She was close to Jared, but there were times when she asked too many questions and could _see_ the guards going up.

“Me?”

“You telling me that you, Mr. Padalecki, actually need people?”

Jared squeezed Danneel’s hand and then let go so he could pick up his drink and drain it. When he set the glass back down he picked up his phone and slipped it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “No, Dani. Needing people isn’t a good thing in my line of work.”

Danneel could tell that Jared was ready to leave. She sighed and slid out of the booth then stood beside the table as Jared stood. “One day, I’m going to get you to tell me about how you ended up here; in this life.”

A smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes, Jared leaned down and kissed Danneel’s cheek. “It’s a boring story. Bring this kid in if you want, you know I’m on board with whatever you need.”

As Jared walked across the dance floor Danneel stood there with her arms folded across her chest. “I really doubt it’s a boring story, Jared,” she said softly.

-=-=-=-

Jensen was running for the second time in as many days. He had been caught up talking to a well-meaning counselor at the shelter and hadn’t realized how late it was. He was twenty minutes late. Danneel had seemed patient, but Jensen was beginning to think that she wouldn’t be there when he finally arrived. He ran a little faster when he finally crossed the last street and skidded to a halt in front of the cafe.

He peered in the window as he tried to catch his breath and straighten his t-shirt. He’d shed the blood-stained clothes from the night before and picked up some old jeans and a plain black t-shirt at the shelter. The jeans had seen better days, but they were clean and they didn’t have any of his blood on them. It was an improvement. He had the hoodie that Danneel had lent him draped over his arm.

Jensen pulled the door open. He couldn’t see Danneel through the window, and he realized that he may have missed his chance, but he couldn’t help looking inside.

The same blonde was behind the counter when Jensen walked in. He smiled at her and she nodded and smiled back.

Looking around, Jensen couldn’t see Danneel so he walked a little further into the cafe and stopped near the counter. There was no sign of her. Jensen closed his eyes for a few moments and sighed.

“You lookin’ for Dani, hon?”

Eyes popping open, Jensen looked over at Brianna. _Dani_? Was that Danneel? “I think so? Is that Danneel?”

Brianna nodded and waved a hand towards the back of the cafe. “She’s out back on the patio. Said it was a nice evening and I should watch out for you.”

Relief washed over Jensen and he felt a lot of the tension fade away.

“Want a coffee?”

This time, Jensen had a little money because he _had_ doubled back the previous night to get his wallet. It was under a dumpster. “Just a regular drip coffee, please.”

Brianna poured a coffee and slid the mug across the counter. She smiled. “It’s on Dani’s tab. She asked me to.”

“Thanks.” Jensen picked up the coffee, fixed it up, then headed down the hall to the back patio.

Danneel was sitting at a small table, reading a book. Her hair was down, smooth and shining as it ran down her back. She was wearing black jeans, sneakers and an oversized dark blue sweater. Jensen wondered if that belonged to her boss too.

When Danneel looked up, she smiled warmly. “Jensen! I didn’t think you were going to come.”

“Sorry,” Jensen said as he crossed the small patio. “I got stuck talking to the pastor at the shelter. I ran here.”

Danneel’s laughter was light and carefree, and Jensen couldn’t help smiling at her.

“Have a seat, Jensen,” she said when she stopped giggling. “Let’s talk.”

“I brought your hoodie back,” Jensen said. He set the folded garment on the table.

“Jensen, you’re not even wearing a jacket. Why don’t you hang on to it, for a while?”

Nodding, Jensen pulled the hoodie back and slipped it onto his lap.

Danneel put her book away in her bag and leaned forward a little. “How are you feeling? That’s quite a shiner.”

Looking down at his mug, Jensen shrugged a shoulder. “It doesn’t hurt much.”

It was the truth. His eye didn’t hurt nearly as much as his ribs. They were killing him.

Lips pressed together tightly for a few moments, Danneel tapped one of her long nails against her empty mug. “Jensen, I’m gonna cut right to the chase. You okay with that?”

Jensen nodded again, lifted his mug to his lips then changed his mind and set it down on the table. “That’s fine.”

“I don’t know how things are going for you but, judging by your face I’m gonna go ahead and say you’re having a rough time.”

For a little while, Jensen tried to think of the best way to sum up the previous year of his life. Nothing had worked out quite how he’d expected it to since he’d walked out of his parents’ house. “Things could be better.”

“Well, you don’t need to tell me anything about your situation if you don’t want too, but I want to help you.”

“Help me?”

Danneel nodded. “Do you have an apartment? A room somewhere?”

After a deep breath, Jensen shook his head. “I’ve been staying at shelters. I sleep outside a lot when it’s not pouring.” He hated talking about it; it made him feel like such a failure.

“Okay. I want to give you a safe place to stay. It’s not fancy, but it’s clean and nothing bad can happen to you there. I can give you a job if you like. That will help you to get back on your feet.”

It sounded too good to be true. “I can’t afford a place, not even a room.”

“The room is free for as long as you want it. All the money you make is free and clear, yours. No rent, no utility bills. There’s a shared kitchen so you’d have to get your own food.” Danneel clasped her hands together and seemed to be waiting for Jensen to respond.

“Where is this magical place?” It had to be a hell of a shelter because Jensen had never stayed anywhere that sounded as good.

“At Dead Reckoning,” Danneel said as she sat back in her chair.

Things were starting to make sense to Jensen. “Padalecki’s place? I talked to another girl at the shelter about it. She didn’t know a lot though. Maybe I get it now.”

“What do you get?” Danneel moved her mug to the side so she could lean her elbows on the table. There were furrows on her brow and she stared straight into Jensen’s eyes.

“So, there’s no rent but what will I be expected to do to pay off all this _kindness_. Jobs that aren’t quite legal? I don’t hook and I don’t do drugs so-”

“- Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said anything about that?” Danneel asked.

“I know what Padalecki does, did, whatever. I asked around like I said. I mean some people seem to believe that he really helps people but sometimes things really can be too good to be true.” Jensen huffed and pushed his chair back.

“You keep your ass in that chair, Jensen.”

Danneel’s voice was so demanding that Jensen relaxed and instantly took his hands off the arms of the chair. He figured that Danneel looked too young to have kids but he was pretty sure she had used her Mom voice.

Jensen dug his fingers into the hoodie and held on.

“Okay. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but Jared Padalecki isn’t the kind of man who will expect anything from you.”

“I’m sure that’s what all crime bosses tell people,” Jensen said quickly. It wasn’t the first time he’d almost been sucked in by some crazy dog and pony show.

“He doesn’t _expect_ anything from anyone who comes to the Club for help. He’s one of my closest friends,” Danneel said. She folded her arms, chin jutting out stubbornly. “I would take a bullet for that man.”

“He’s in one of the only lines of work in which there’s a distinct possibility of that actually happening.” Having to consider stepping in front of a bullet to save someone didn’t seem like a good reference.

For some reason, Danneel’s expression softened again and she looked a little sad. “Jensen, Jared is one of the kindest people I know. I think… Jared had a pretty lonely life before he got to where he is now. That’s why he helps people like me.”

“Like you?” Looking at Danneel made it hard to believe she’s ever been down on her luck at all.

Danneel took a deep breath and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “A few years ago, things weren’t going very well for me. I had a drug problem and a dealer who liked to make sure I had whatever I wanted so he could keep me on the hook.”

Nodding, Jensen swallowed some more of his coffee. Danneel didn’t look like the kind of person who would be an addict. But then, if living on the streets had taught Jensen anything it was that looks could be deceiving. “How did you meet him?”

“My dealer worked for Jared. This was before he began changing up the business.”

“Right.” Jensen tried not to sound skeptical but judging by the look on Danneel’s face, hadn’t quite managed it.

“My _dealer_ beat the tar out of me one night,” Danneel began again as though no one had interrupted her. “He dragged me into the Club one night by my hair, wanting Jared to _deal_ with me. It was all because he wanted money.”

“What happened?”

“He gave me a room and let me get clean. Got me a nurse, twenty-four-hour care. When I’d been sober for six months, he asked me to run the Club.”

“And he didn’t want anything in return?” Jensen asked. “Nothing. From someone as gorgeous as you?”

“Jared never laid a finger on me,” Danneel answered firmly. “No one did. Just gave me what I needed to get clean, then offered me a job.”

Jensen blinked a few times, clasping his hands together on top of the soft hoodie. “So, no strings at all.”

“Nope. You get a room, use of the kitchen. We’ll get you some new clothes. When you’re all healed up, we’ll put you to work. Maybe behind the bar for a while. We can talk about more later if you want.”

“More?”

“Sometimes, Jared puts some money towards people’s education or job training. Depends on what people want to do.”

There were enough conflicting thoughts in Jensen’s mind that he could feel his head beginning to throb.

“So, what do you think?” Danneel asked.

“I can come and go whenever I want?” Jensen asked. “And keep any money I make?”

Danneel nodded once firmly. “Yup.”

It would be difficult to explain but Jensen trusted Danneel. He could count the number of minutes he had spent with her on both hands, but there was something about her that put Jensen at ease. He had no reason at all to believe her, but he did. “Okay.”

-=-=-=-

Jensen hadn’t been nervous when he’d agreed to accompany Danneel to Dead Reckoning but by the time they arrived his nerves were rattled.

The club wasn’t in a terrible part of the city but it was one Jensen didn’t know well. He climbed out of Danneel’s car and looked around. There was already a line up of people at the door and it was only ten o’clock.

He felt quite underdressed in his old jeans and sneakers. He smoothed down his t-shirt. It was a reflex because it didn’t make it look any better. “It’s busy. Maybe we should come back some other time.”

“Oh hell no,” Danneel said happily. “It’s my night off so they’ll be pleased to see me at all.” She held out her keys to the good-looking young man at the door. “Matt? Would you be a doll and park this for me?”

“Sure thing, Dani. Soon as Alaina gets her ass out here,” Matt said as he slipped the keys into his pocket.

“Women are bouncers here?” Jensen asked. He’d met a lot of kick-ass women in his time on the streets so he was on board with that.

Danneel nodded as she slipped past the rope Matt had unhooked for them. “You’ll love Alaina. She’s mouthier than me and doesn’t take shit from anyone.”

The club was dark after they left the well-lit entrance. Jensen blinked a few times before reaching out to hook a finger with one of Danneel’s. 

“Don’t worry,” she said near Jensen’s ear. “I would bet this is probably one of the safest places in the whole city.”

It wasn’t that Jensen was really worried. He’d just learned early on that it wasn’t smart to go into places he wasn’t sure how to get out of. “What if I change my mind?”

Danneel leaned back into Jensen’s ear and he could smell her perfume. She smelled a bit like a cupcake. It suited her.

“You can leave anytime, Jensen. No questions asked. You ever need to get in here after that, you tell whoever is at the door that you need to see me. If I’m not here they’ll get you to someone who can help you.”

When Danneel stepped back, she squeezed Jensen’s hand and smiled at him.

Jensen couldn’t help smiling back.

Danneel gestured towards the far end of the bar where a rather serious looking older man was sitting. Jensen let himself be pulled along with her.

The man had a bit of grey in his otherwise black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing a suit that looked expensive. The man looked about twice Jensen’s age and the kind of guy that it was best not to mess with.

It was a little quiet once they reached the far end of the bar. Danneel slid her arm around Jensen’s waist, squeezed and smiled at the serious man. “Jeff, this is my new friend, Jensen. Jensen, if I’m not here, Jeff will always help you.”

Jeff’s entire demeanor changed as a smile spread across his face. “Welcome to the fold, Jensen.”

The man’s handshake was firm and warm and Jensen was surprised to find that he liked Jeff immediately. He was a good-looking man, not Jensen’s type, but still. “Nice to meet you, Sir.”

“Sir? Fuck, Dani. You bring him here to confirm that I’m an old man?” The wrinkles at the corners of Jeff’s eyes were adorable and when he began to laugh, Jensen couldn't help smiling. “For the love of God, call me Jeff.”

“I will, Jeff. I already had a lecture from Danneel,” Jensen said.

Jeff chuckled darkly. “Oh Dani, he didn’t call you Ma’am, did he?”

“He did,” Danneel confirmed. She climbed up onto the bar stool next to Jeff’s and waved a hand at one of the women who was tending bar.

“I’ll never do it again. I promise.” Jensen could feel himself relaxing a little as he settled on the remaining free barstool.

A pretty woman with long dark hair leaned on the other side of the bar. “How you doin’, Dani?”

“Good,” Danneel answered. “This is Jensen. He’s going to be hanging out with us for a while.”

“Nice to meet you,” the brunette answered. “I’m Cindy. We can use some new blood in this place. Shake things up a bit.” She eyed Jeff as she spoke but there was a teasing look in her eye.

Jeff rolled his eyes. “You all are ganging up on me. I’m gonna go find Jared.” As he stood, Jeff buttoned his suit jacket and then reached out and squeezed Jensen’s shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Jensen. I’m sure we’ll run into each other a lot.”

“Nice to meet you too… Jeff.” Jensen smiled and wrinkled his nose so Jeff would know that he was teasing him.

“Kid’s a quick learner,” Jeff said to Danneel as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Later, beautiful.”

Cindy set a couple of coasters on the bar. “Drinks?”

“I’ll have a beer. Fat Tug, I think,” Danneel said. She spun on the stool and tilted her head slightly as she looked at Jensen. “I didn’t even ask. You twenty-one?”

“I am,” Jensen said. He knew that people didn’t think he looked it but he didn’t mind. That was the kind of thing that a lot of people were jealous of.

“Drink?” Danneel asked.

“I’ll have a coke,” Jensen said as he looked around. The club was large, there was a huge dance floor that was already quite crowded. There were a lot of tables around the edges of the Club, many of them already occupied. He noticed Jeff disappearing through a doorway off to the side. 

Danneel must have been watching him. “He’s just heading upstairs to the office with Jared. There’s a second floor that’s used for business. The rule is that nothing illegal happens on the premises. This is a safe place.”

Pursing his lips, Jensen nodded slowly. Maybe this Jared character was a lot brighter than Jensen had initially thought. It made sense to have a location that was open and above-board. 

“I meant it when I said he’s a good man, Jensen.”

Jensen turned back to the bar to find his drink already in front of him. He smiled at Danneel as he picked up the tumbler. “Where is he?”

“You probably won’t have much to do with him. If I see him around I’ll introduce you.” Danneel took a few gulps of beer and sighed happily.

“He doesn’t like mingling with people like me?” Jensen asked. He couldn't really help the way he was kind of a smart-ass. It must be programmed into his genetics or something.

“People like you?” Danneel rolled her eyes. “He just keeps to himself. He’s quiet, a loner, you might even say.”

“Why? Doesn’t that go against the kind of business he’s in?” It seemed curious to Jensen that a leader of anything would be quiet.

“Not my place to answer questions about Jared,” Danneel answered. She drank some more beer then set the bottle down and began to fight her way out of the sweater. “So, do you need to see a doctor for your face?”

Reaching out to help pull the sweater off, Jensen shook his head.

Finally free, Danneel blew her hair out of her eyes and grinned before tossing the sweater aside. The black tank she was wearing was tight fitting enough for Jensen to see she was fit. “You got any other injuries? Jared will cover any medical care you need.”

Medical care too? Jensen was beginning to feel like he was having some sort of dream. “I’m good. The guy kicked me a few times, but he didn’t break anything.”

“Wow,” Danneel said. “You say that like it’s an everyday thing for you.”

Jensen shrugged. “It’s happened before. I seem to have a problem with attracting the attention of people who want things from me that I’m not prepared to give them.”

“Not working the streets is a good thing,” Danneel said.

“It is, I guess. But, that doesn’t stop people from assuming that’s what I do.” 

“How do you make money now?” 

Jensen licked his lips and finally took a drink of his coke. “Pool mostly. I move around to different places so no one catches on but it’s getting harder.”

“What were you doing before you ended up here?”

Jensen leaned on the bar, realizing that he felt more like he was out with a friend than with someone he hardly knew. “I was in college, Dad found out I was gay and… I had to leave.”

“Fuck, I hate things like that,” Danneel spat. “I mean, _Jesus Christ_ how can people treat their own kids like that.” She snatched her beer off the bar and took a quick drink. “What were you taking in college?”

“Psychology,” Jensen answered. He hadn’t thought about it for a long time. College felt like it was a million years in the past. ”I really wanted to help people. Counseling or something like that.”

“I knew I liked you for a reason,” Danneel said with a bright smile on her face. “Me too. I mean, I didn’t finish ‘cause I’m just an idiot but I was in the same field. Maybe we found each other for a reason.”

“Maybe,” Jensen agreed.

They talked for, whatever felt like, hours. Empty glasses collected in front of them as Danneel spoke about her role at the Club, the brother she loved more than anyone in the world, some of the things she’d done that she regretted and the people at the Club. Jensen told Danneel quite a bit about his family but he found that it was nice to speak to someone who realized that he wanted a future that didn’t include living on the streets. Danneel treated him as though he was still the college student he’d been in his past and it was a nice feeling.

When Danneel excused herself to go to the _ladies room_ , Jensen looked across the Club.

More people had appeared since Jensen had last looked around. The place was thrumming with activity, laughter, loud voices, the thumping of the bass… it was obviously a popular club.

As his eyes moved along a wall of mirrors he caught sight of someone he couldn’t stop looking at. The man was standing near the back wall of the Club. He was leaning back against the wall, one foot braced on it. He was tall, probably even taller than Jensen. The man's hair almost reached his broad shoulders. His arms were folded across his chest, his slender hips slightly tilted.

[](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/twoboys2love/66949000/31009/31009_original.jpg)

Even in the mirror, Jensen could see how gorgeous the man's face was. Gorgeous… and sad. His unusually shaped eyes looked tired, his skin pale as though he didn't get out in the sun very much.

Despite all that, the man was beautiful. Casting his gaze around the Club, Jensen spotted the man's actual location just as he looked away. It sure seemed like he might have noticed Jensen too.

Danneel returned to her stool and tapped Jensen on the shoulder. "What ya lookin' at?"

Smiling, Jensen tore his gaze away from the handsome stranger. "There's a _very_ tall, extremely hot man across the bar. I think he's been watching me."

Danneel wasn't even looking up when she spoke. "Burgundy suit, long hair, beautiful eyes?"

"Uh huh. That's him." Jensen tilted his head slightly and studied Danneel's expression. "Who is he?"

"That's Jared," Danneel said almost too quietly for Jensen to hear.

"As in, Padalecki?"

Danneel nodded. "Owner of the Club."

"Amongst other nefarious things," Jensen added. Maybe that was for his own benefit; to remind him that the gorgeous man standing there had _quite_ a reputation. No one looked that haunted without a hell of a lot of history.

Shrugging, Danneel leaned back and rested her elbows on the bar behind her. "Not everything is what it seems, Jensen. Probably, a lot of what you've heard is true. But, there's a hell of a lot that people haven't heard about. He's a very private man."

"He looks like a man who isn't proud of his past," Jensen said. That was another thing he'd been learning to do: read people. The man was beautiful, but he was broken.

"Yeah?" Danneel kept her eyes on Jensen, he could feel them.

"Well, he's carrying a lot of sadness in the set of those shoulders. Guess that's not surprising." Jensen glanced up at the mirror again because there was something almost magnetic about Jared.

"And what do you think he needs to make everything better, Dr. Jensen?"

"He needs me," Jensen said quickly. He wasn't even sure where that answer came from. He felt a bit of heat sliding onto his cheeks and rubbed at it self-consciously.

"Huh," Danneel said softly. "Not what I expected you to say. You're a bit of a mystery, Jensen. I like that."

A relieved smile curved onto Jensen's lips. It mattered that Danneel liked him. She was important. Meeting her felt like it was a turning point for Jensen and he knew he had needed that.

Another woman appeared at Danneel's side and leaned in to speak privately to her.

Jensen looked back at the mirror and discovered Jared had moved. When he scanned the crowd, it wasn't difficult to find the man again in the crowd.

He was striding towards the front door with Jeff at his side. He moved gracefully, long legs allowed him to cover a lot of distance with each stride. He disappeared out the door and Jensen actually felt a little disappointed. He'd been hoping that they might meet. He was _very_ curious about Jared Padalecki now that he'd seen him.

"Well."

Danneel's voice startled Jensen and he spun on his stool until he was facing the redhead. "What?"

"It seems, Jared spotted you too," Danneel said. "That was Ruthie. He asked her your name and asked her to get one of the rooms ready for you just in case you wanted it."

An unfamiliar warmth crept across Jensen's chest but the didn't say anything even though he knew he'd be taking the room the moment he'd laid eyes on Jared.

"So. Was Jared right? You gonna take the room?"

"Yeah. I am," Jensen said firmly. "I don't like the way things have been going for me and it's time for a change," Jensen said nothing about being interested in Jared. He wasn't even exactly sure what he was feeling, let alone what he was thinking.

"I'm really glad," Danneel said. She leaned forward and pulled Jensen into a hug that made it hard for him to breathe.

-=-=-=-

Jensen moved into his room the very first night he went to the Club. It was small, exactly what Danneel had described it as. The walls were painted a beautiful, dark blue. There were thick bars on the windows, but Danneel had made a point of showing Jensen how they were welded together and could be unlocked and swung open.

All in all, it was good. The double bed was comfortable, the shared kitchen was modern and clean. There were two women living there but Jensen hadn't found out much more than their names: Felicia and Kathryn.

He really liked Felicia, but he felt like Kathryn had a _lot_ of growing up to do.

For the first two days, he was there, Danneel had insisted that Jensen rest and recover. He'd finally agreed to that, but he had won the argument about the Doctor and wouldn't be going.

He read. There were a lot of books on a shelf in his room and it was something Jensen had missed.

He kept an eye out for Jared. The man was there most evenings. For most of it, he would be up in his _office_ and a steady stream of people came to see him. Jeff was almost always at Jared's side. He tossed a slight smile Jensen's way whenever he saw him but that was the extent of it.

Jared remained a curiosity as far as Jensen was concerned.

On the third evening, Jensen was sitting at the long, polished bar chatting with Cindy. He enjoyed her company. She had one of the brightest smiles that Jensen had ever seen, a mischievous laugh and a wicked sense of humor.

When Cindy had headed to the other end of the bar to serve some customers, Jensen had noticed Jared across the Club.

He was standing by the back wall, staring out over the dance floor. Before he really thought about it, Jensen stood and headed towards Jared. He wasn't really sure what he wanted to say – maybe thank you for changing things, or maybe it was curiosity that guided him through the crowd.

When Jensen emerged from the crowd in front of Jared, they just stared at each other for a few moments. Jensen took a couple of steps closer, his heart suddenly racing in his chest.

The only sign that Jared was at all surprised was the way his eyes widened ever-so-slightly.

More nervous than he'd expected to be, Jensen jammed his trembling hand into the front pockets of his jeans.

"Hello," Jared said in a smooth, deep voice.

"I'm Jensen Ackles." Jensen held out his hand and Jared took it in his own, squeezing it then letting go. The way that huge hand engulfed Jensen's made something hot twitch to life in his chest.

"I know who you are," Jared said. "Do you have everything you need?"

Nodding, Jensen put his hand back in his pocket, rubbing his fingers against his palm where it was still tingling. "Yeah. Thanks. The room is great, and I appreciate you giving me the chance to get back on my feet."

"No need to thank me," Jared said quickly, eyes still locked on Jensen's. "I just hope things work out for you."

Fearing Jared was about to try and leave, Jensen took a half a step closer. "Danneel says I can work behind the bar if I want to."

Jared nodded, smiled slightly and stroked the stubble on his cheek. "You don't look old enough."

"I am."

"I know."

Jensen suspected that Jared knew a lot about everyone who ended up at the Club. "I really like Cindy. She's a lot of fun."

Eyebrows raised slightly, Jared nodded. He slid his hand under his jacket and pulled out his phone. The light from the screen illuminated his face and Jensen could see the hazel and gold in his eyes for the briefest moment. "You'll have to excuse me, Jensen. I have some business to take care of."

Jensen reached out and grabbed Jared's hand again. The warmth of it sent tingles skittering up his forearm. "I just wanted you to know I appreciate this chance."

The expression on Jared's face was difficult to read but he didn't pull his hand free, so Jensen squeezed it slightly.

"What do you want to do with yourself, Jensen?"

The question took Jensen by surprise. Even though he hadn't been doing much, he hadn't really thought about it. The thing was, the answer came to him immediately. "I want to work with Danneel. I want to help people."

Looking a little surprised again, Jared pulled his hand free. "I'll cover any education you might need. Anything you want to do."

Jensen shook his head. "I might finish college one day, for now though? I really want to help Danneel. She's great."

"She is," Jared agreed. He glanced over Jensen's shoulder, then looked back at him and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Jensen. Good luck with everything."

Before Jensen had time to answer, Jared was brushing past him and heading for the stairs that lead up to his office.

There _was_ something else Jensen wanted, he knew rather suddenly, and he was watching him walk up the stairs.

Yes. Jared Padalecki _definitely_ needed him.

Jensen smiled to himself and watched until Jared disappeared.

-=-=-=-

"You're staring," Cindy said as she swept past Jensen to deliver a Cosmopolitan.

"I'm not," Jensen lied.

He'd been working part-time behind the bar for a few days and he was really enjoying it. One of the distinct bonuses was getting to see Jared in the evening. Jensen _was_ staring.

Danneel had arrived for her shift and she was standing at Jared's side, pulled in to his side. She seemed to be the only person who managed to get that close to the boss. They were obviously good friends, possibly more, although she's never said as much to Jensen.

Jensen couldn't understand how people managed to avoid staring at Jared. It wasn't just that he stood out because of his ridiculous height, although the statuesque things _really_ worked for Jensen. The thing was, Jared managed to look put-together and a little disheveled at the same time. He radiated a quiet confidence, but his eyes were soft and shy when he glanced Jensen's way. The broad set of his shoulders looked steel-strong, but when he wrapped Danneel up in his embrace, he was so gentle that Jensen's heart would ache. He wasn't jealous of Danneel, he adored her, but he couldn't help the way he wanted to be the one wrapped up in those arms.

"Now, I believe the correct term for what you're doing is _mooning_ ," Cindy said. She propped her chin on her hand and stared at Jared.

"Fuck off," Jensen said fondly. "I don't even know what that means."

"Why don't you just go and talk to him?" Cindy asked.

All Jensen had to do was think about it and he started to blush. "I tried that once. I'm a pretty cocky guy –"

"- I hadn't noticed –"

"- very funny. He's just. He's got a lot of walls up. The only person who seems to know very much about him is Danneel."

"He helped her through a tough time," Cindy said. She grabbed a towel and wiped up some beer off the bar.

"Are they involved?" Jensen asked. It made him feel like he was in high school all over again to even ask such a question.

"In what?" Cindy tossed the towel down glanced over at Jensen. "Oh. God! No." She burst out laughing and shook her head as though Jensen had said one of the funniest things she's heard in a while.

"What?!" Jensen pulled a tray of glasses out of the washer and began unloading them.

"You're funny. Jared's gay," Cindy said with a big smile on her face. "I figured you knew because you already have a crush on him."

"I don't have a _crush_ ," Jensen said quickly. "And how was I supposed to know?"

"Everyone knows," Cindy declared. She stepped up to Jensen's side and leaned in closer. "Rumor is that's got something to do with how he ended up with his own territory."

Interesting. As Jensen watched, Danneel broke away from Jared and Jeff and headed towards them. 

Jensen's curiosity about Jared only grew, the longer they were at the Club. The more familiar Jensen became with the Club and the way things worked, the less he felt he knew about Jared and his motivations. He'd become certain about a few things. People trusted Jared; they trusted him with their lives and their livelihood. Jared cared deeply about things; Jensen just wasn't entirely sure what those things were. There was always that haunted look about Jared as though he had a hundred different things on his mind. He cared too much about things that were happening around him.

All those things that Jensen had figured out weren't enough. He wanted to know as much as there was to know.

He ran into Jared, quite literally, on a Wednesday evening. For some reason, the Club was full earlier than usual and Cindy had asked Jensen to bring up some extra bottles from the basement. He'd only been down there a couple of times and got a little lost trying to find the storage room.

Frustrated, he was heading back upstairs when he strode around a corner and ran _right_ into Jared. He'd forgotten that there was a gym down in the basement until the moment when he found himself pressed up against a broad, bare, sweat-damp chest.

He was only a few inches shorter than Jared, but Jensen had to look up to meet the man's gaze. Jared's cheeks were flushed, his hair slightly damp and swept back off his forehead.

Jensen sucked in a sharp breath. He could smell Jared, all clean sweat, and aftershave. He blinked slowly, hands hanging at his sides.

Jared's hand was heavy and hot on Jensen's hip. The presence of it was undeniable even through the thick denim of his jeans.

Still staring, a little lost in those fox-like eyes, Jensen struggled to swallow. "I got turned around."

Jared tilted his head slightly and his hair fell forwards. Jensen had to fight the overwhelming urge to brush it back.

"I take it, you don't use the gym?" Jared was staring down at Jensen unflinchingly.

"The gym? No. I'm not really one for working out."

Jared's fingers tightened on Jensen's hip so slightly that Jensen thought he might have imagined it. "Where are you headed?"

A deep breath did little to settle the fluttering in Jensen's stomach. "Cindy sent me to get some whiskey. We're out of Oban."

"One of my favorites." Jared smiled slightly, and his hand slid from Jensen's hip. "Turn around. First right, second door on the left."

"You like whiskey?" Jensen made no move to head to the liquor room.

It was taking a lot of his willpower to keep from reaching out to touch a drop of sweat that was trailing down the side of Jared's neck.

"You'd better get back up there," Jared said quietly. "It's busy tonight."

He turned and walked away, and Jensen was left alone in the hallway feeling as though all the oxygen had been sucked off the planet. He cursed himself for not coming up with a better question.

Sighing, Jensen turned around and headed down the hall. The only sound he could hear was the squeak of his sneakers on the tile floor.

-=-=-=-

Fridays were always busy at Dead Reckoning. There was a DJ, drink specials and the place was usually at capacity by eleven. Danneel usually worked the bar with Cindy and she had asked Jensen to help them out for the first time.

Even though Jensen was a quick learner, he found the weekend pace a little overwhelming. By midnight, he had to admit he was a little frazzled so Danneel sent him for a break. She told him to _have a drink, relax and take a load off_. He pulled his borrowed hoodie on, thinking he would head outside and get some air.

As luck would have it; or as Jensen preferred to think of it, fate, Jared was down on the Club floor. He had emerged from his office, spoken to Jeff then made a few calls. Jensen had lost sight of him, but he spotted him just as he was ready to take his break. Jared was standing at the end of the bar near the gate.

Jensen was never one to miss an opportunity, so he hopped up onto the bar, swung his legs over and then slid down right in front of Jared. "Hello."

Amusement flickered across Jared's face briefly, then he nodded once. "Hello, Jensen."

"You waiting for someone?" Jensen slipped both hands into the front pocket on the hoodie.

Jared's brow furrowed, and his eyes traveled down Jensen's shoulder and across his chest. "Isn't that mine?"

At least Jared had finally noticed him. Jensen nodded and grinned. "Danneel gave it to me."

"Huh." Jared glanced Danneel's way briefly, then looked over Jensen's shoulder as though he was looking for someone.

"So, are you?"

Jared returned his gaze to Jensen. "Am I … what?"

"Waiting for someone?"

"Don't you have work to do?"

"Am I bothering you?" Jensen tilted his head slightly and smiled.

For a fleeting moment, Jared looked confused and then he reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why do you answer every question with another question?"

Jensen pressed his lips together to try and keep from grinning. He also refrained from pointing out that Jared had been doing exactly the same thing. "I was just curious about what you were doing. You're not usually down here on Fridays."

"If I'm becoming predictable, I should be more careful." Jared pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and checked it before returning it. "I'm waiting for Gil to come back and pick me up."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"What?" Frowning again, Jared ran a hand through his hair then rolled his shoulders. He looked decidedly uncomfortable.

" _Gil_ is my driver," Jared said gruffly. "Not that it's any of your business."

The man _could_ be rattled. It was a small victory, but Jensen couldn't help smiling. "What if I would like it to be my business?"

Everything seemed to change in a moment. Jared's expression darkened, and he touched a fisted hand to the middle of Jensen's chest. "Be careful, Jensen."

Jensen's smile faded as he continued to look up at Jared. Finally, he looked away, realizing that he'd made a miscalculation, pushed too far. Or maybe, he'd just read Jared wrong from the beginning. "Jared. I'm sorry I didn't-"

"- Excuse me." Jared brushed past Jensen without another word.

"Definitely not one for the win column," Jensen murmured.

-=-=-=-

Another night. Another plan. Jensen was determined. He poured a double shot of the Oban Jared had said was his favorite. He poured one for himself, downed it, then headed to the staircase that led to Jared's office.

Jeff was reading on a comfortable looking leather couch outside, what must be, the door to Jared's office. "Hey, Jensen."

 _Shit._ Jensen had forgotten about the _Jeffrey Dean Morgan_ part of the equation. "Hi, Jeff. How are you doing?"

"Good," Jeff said as he eyed the tumbler in Jensen's hand. "That for me or are you up to your usual tricks?"

Ignoring the amused glint in Jeff's eyes, Jensen rolled his eyes. "No. It's for Jared."

"Tricks it is," Jeff said as he smirked. He set his book aside and scratched his beard. "You know, he's got a wet bar in his office."

No. Jensen hadn't known that, and he suddenly felt a little foolish. "I – well. He said Oban was his favorite whiskey."

Nodding, Jeff gestured towards the office door. "Knock at your own risk."

For a fleeting instant, Jensen considered turning and heading back downstairs. But, he'd never been a very cautious person. He squared his shoulders and turned to the door and knocked.

"Come in," came Jared's muffled reply from behind the door.

"Good luck, son," Jeff said as he picked up his book again. "You're gonna need it."

Jensen grabbed the doorknob and twisted it slowly before pushing.

Once he stepped inside, he realized the office wasn't at all like he had expected. The walls were painted a dark blue color, there was a very sleek looking, black leather couch along the back wall of the office. Yes, there _was_ a well-stocked wet bar. The only other piece of furniture in the room was a huge wooden desk with a brass lamp on it. The warm light of the lamp cascaded over the papers that were scattered across the desktop Jared was staring down at.

There were huge floor to ceiling windows behind Jared and Jensen realized that the mirrors he'd often looked up at were, obviously, one-way glass.

"What are you doing here?"

Jared's voice was clipped, and Jensen flinched slightly. He held up the glass in his hand. "Oban."

Quiet for a few moments, Jared set his pen down on the desk. "I have two-fifths of Oban in my bar."

It was just like Jared to make things difficult. It seemed to be his default when it came to interactions with Jensen. "I didn't know that."

"Now, you do." Jared was still looking up at Jensen, as though he was expecting to hear something else.

"Well, I guess I'll have it." Jensen tossed the whiskey back and paced over to Jared's bar to set the glass down. He cleared his throat as the liquor burned. "I was just trying to be nice."

"Jensen, I'm sure Dani has explained to you that you're under no obligation to repay me for anything." Jared leaned back in his chair and the springs creaked loudly.

"She did say that," Jensen answered. He noticed a painting on the wall above the couch and wandered over to look at it.

"I think you may be missing my point," Jared said in a quieter voice.

"No, I get it," Jensen said as he stared at the painting. It was a beautiful stone temple, covered in vines. Huge, gnarled tree trunks looked almost as though they were holding the crumbling walls upright. "I don't owe you anything. I don't have to pay anything."

"Right," Jared answered. "So, you don't have to chat with me, bring me things. I don't - I don't _want_ anything from you."

When Jensen turned to face Jared, he waited until Jared made eye contact before he spoke. "Jared, I'm not being nice to you because I think you expect something from me."

Jared slipped a finger under the collar of his bright, white dress shirt and tugged on it. "Then we understand each other."

Jensen was pretty sure that they didn't understand each other at all, but he nodded anyway. "I just want to get to know you."

Jensen decided to just be honest. After all, from what he had heard about Jared, the man liked people who were straightforward.

A hand slid through Jared's hair as he leaned forward over his desk. "Why do you – no. You know what? Don't answer that."

Rather suddenly, Jared was on his feet and striding across the room. He grabbed Jensen's forearm and guided him towards the office door. "I have a lot to do, Jensen."

Almost stumbling, Jensen fell against the door. He groaned as a pain throbbed in his shoulder.

Jared's grip loosened slightly, and he brought his free hand up to rub Jensen's shoulder. "I'm. I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you."

When Jensen looked up he wetted his lips, suddenly feeling a little shaky now that he was so close to Jared in the dimly lit room. Heat blossomed in the center of his gut and Jensen reached out hesitantly to press a shaking hand to the smooth cotton of Jared's shirt. He could feel the firmness of Jared's broad chest and the rise and fall of it. "I'm not hurt."

Jared smiled slightly, his gaze darting from Jensen's eyes to his lips then back again. He leaned in slightly, close enough for Jensen to feel the heat of Jared's breath on his cheek. And then he withdrew. He let go of Jensen and stepped back quickly. "Jensen, I have a lot of work to get through tonight. Please."

There was something in Jared's expression that made Jensen's chest ache. He nodded slowly and pulled the door open. "Sorry."

Jared said nothing, and Jensen slipped out into the hall and closed the door behind him as gently as he could.

"And, how was your visit, Jensen?"

Jensen didn't bother to look back at Jeff, he kept his head down and walked towards the staircase. "Night, Jeff."

Jensen jogged down the stairs and headed towards the bar. He was going to tell Danneel that he was tired, and head to bed. He would tell her that he was tired because it had been a long night, and completely avoid facing the fact that it was an outright lie.

-=-=-=-

One of the things that Jensen prided himself on was his heightened ability to learn from his mistakes. He threw himself into work at the Club and focused his free time and most of his energy on persuading Danneel to let him help her on her side mission to bring more women into the Club.

The reality was that it didn't take much convincing. Before long, Jensen and Danneel headed out together early one evening to meet a young woman Danneel had befriended.

They worked well as a team. And Jensen found that he was good at it. He could understand so many of the reasons why people might be on the streets. So many of the challenges that people faced were so familiar to Jensen that it was scary. His age worked in his favor. And Danneel said that his _pretty face_ put people at ease. Jensen wasn't so sure he believed that, but it always made him smile when Danneel teased him.

He continued to see Jared around the Club, but they exchanged nothing more than pleasantries. It seemed to make Jared more comfortable and eventually, he began to actually smile at Jensen occasionally.

The sting of Jared's rejection remained fresh in Jensen's mind, so he kept his distance. He liked to think he hadn't given up on Jared, but he didn't really know what to do. It was a first for him.

After several visits with the same young woman, Rachel Miner, they returned to the Club one night with her in tow. She was in pretty bad shape, was terrified, and skittish but after a few hours, she was settled in one of the spare rooms.

Jensen was relieved and happy at the same time. He'd known he wanted to work with Danneel but knowing that he'd helped someone to be safe even for one night was a damn good feeling.

[](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/twoboys2love/66949000/31483/31483_original.jpg)

Danneel got them some fresh coffee from the kitchen and they sat at the unofficial staff table near the Club's back door.

"You were great tonight," she said as she wrapped her hands around her mug. "Rachel really trusts you."

"She's got a big heart," Jensen said. He liked Rachel and hoped that she stuck around long enough to get healthy.

"We make a good team."

"Yeah?" Jensen grinned and sipped his coffee. He should be tired, but he was too wound up to sleep.

"I’m glad you want to work with me." Danneel reached out and squeezed Jensen's arm gently.

"Me too," Jensen said softly. He held up his mug. "To us!"

Laughing, Danneel clinked her mug against his.

"What are we celebrating?"

Jensen looked up when he heard Jeff's voice and was surprised to see Jared standing there with him.

"Men!" Danneel exclaimed. She gestured to the empty seats at the table. "Join us."

Jeff quickly pulled out the chair beside Danneel and sat down. There was a mischievous look on his face as he smiled at Jensen.

Jensen smiled at Jeff then looked down at his coffee quickly, so he didn’t have to make eye contact with Jared. He wasn't sure whether he wanted Jared to sit down or just walk away.

When Jared finally _did_ sit down, Jensen could detect the faint smell of his cologne. It was pleasant, light, a little spicy.

Danneel looked delighted. "Jensen was a great help tonight. We brought in a new resident. Jared, we'll need some medical help for her once she's more settled."

"No problem," Jared said quickly.

Jeff slid his arm over Dani's shoulders and pulled her close. "I'll help out with that tomorrow."

As Jeff and Danneel chatted about what care they could provide for Rachel, Jensen focused on drinking his coffee.

"Danneel is very fond of you," Jared said closer to Jensen's ear than he expected. He shivered and pulled his mug closer as though he was cold. He wasn't.

"She's great. She's got the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met," Jensen said quietly.

"You think you'll work with her some more?"

"Anytime she needs me." Of that, Jensen was certain.

"She's lucky to get to spend so much time with you."

That made Jensen look up.

Jared was smiling, his head tipped down slightly so that he was looking at Jensen from under long, dark lashes.

Smiling so Jared would know he was teasing, Jensen set his coffee down. "Well, that will work out well, because, unlike you, she actually likes to be around me."

"Well, she's always had questionable taste in men," Jared deadpanned.

Jensen surprised himself when he laughed. It was the most that Jared had said to him the entire time he'd known him.

Jared reached out and picked up Jensen's coffee. He lifted it to his mouth, smiled then took a sip. He frowned and set the coffee back down in front of Jensen.

"Hey, it's fresh. We were thirsty." Still smiling, Jensen wrapped his hands around the mug again.

"Long night?"

"It was tiring, I guess. We came out here to relax, talk things out," Jensen answered.

"I'm proud of you."

Jensen choked on the mouthful of coffee he'd just taken. When he finally recovered, he figured it was safer to leave the coffee on the table. "Are you actually being nice to me, Jared?"

"I'm not an asshole, Jensen," Jared said, looking a little hurt.

Arching his eyebrows slightly, Jensen said nothing. He simply took another sip of his coffee.

"Okay," Jared said after a few uncomfortable moments of silence. "Sometimes, I can be abrupt but it's because my mind is on other things."

"I can live with that. Although, it's not much of an apology."

"I wasn't apologizing."

"That explains it then." Jensen smiled and shook his head fondly.

Resting his clasped hands on the table, Jared turned his head slightly, so he could see Jensen. "You have a woman in your life, Jensen?"

The question surprised Jensen. It wasn't as though Jared had previously shown any interest in Jensen's personal life.

"A woman? Are you actually the only person in the Club who doesn't know I'm gay or are you trying to be funny?"

"Funny? No." Jared frowned then chewed on his bottom lip for a few moments. "I assumed. I don't really invest a lot of energy in delving into people's personal lives."

"Well, I _am_ gay. So, there's no woman in my life."

"Is there a man?"

"Are you flirting with me, Jared?"

"I'm not sure I remember how to do that," Jared said almost sadly.

Jensen wasn't sure if that was a good answer or a bad one. But, it was an answer so that meant they were having a conversation. That was a first.

"You probably don't get out much,” Jensen said.

"Wait, is that an insult?” Jared sat back in his chair slightly with an indignant look on his face.

Jensen shook his head quickly. "I meant because you're always working."

Nodding, Jared glanced over at Cindy where she was behind the bar. She lifted her eyebrows in silent communication and Jared nodded. She poured him a drink and slid it across the bar.

Jared didn't really stand up so much as _unfold_ from the chair. He leaned over and picked up the glass. The line of his back was strong and straight under his dress shirt, his suit pants were tailored perfectly and showed off the curve of his ass. When Jensen turned his gaze back to the table, he caught Jeff smirking at him.

"What?" Jensen asked with a grin on his face.

"Oh, nothing," Jeff said.

Danneel started to giggle and Jensen could feel the burn of embarrassment prickling on his cheeks.

"What's so funny?" Jared asked as he set his drink on the table and sat down.

Jeff winked at Danneel. "Jensen was just-"

"-telling a joke," Jensen finished. He wasn't sure if Jeff would actually try to sink him in _that_ much trouble, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"I don’t like jokes," Jared said flatly.

Jeff barked out a fond laugh. "I'll just add that to the list, brother. Never met a man with so many _dislikes_ before."

Looking indignant again, Jared tapped his fingers on the side of his glass. "You're exaggerating."

"Rap music," Jeff said.

"Self-explanatory," Jared answered.

"Ice cream," Jeff offered.

"Wait a damned minute!" Jensen exclaimed. "You don't like ice cream? Are you some kind of mutant?"

Danneel snorted and Jared turned to fix his gaze on Jensen. "It's not so much that I don't like ice cream, as much as it doesn't like me."

Jensen wasn't sure what that meant but he now knew two different things about Jared which was interesting.

"Would you like me to continue, Jared?" Jeff asked as he slung his arm over Danneel's shoulders.

"No, I think that will be sufficient," Jared answered.

Danneel leaned into Jeff's side and said something too quietly for Jensen to hear. He turned his attention back to Jared. "Are there any things that you _do_ like?"

"Lots of things."

"Like?"

Jared took a deep breath and blew it out slowly before turning to look at Jensen. "I like Oban."

"Right." It wasn’t likely that Jensen was going to forget that.

Danneel pushed her chair back and stood. "I'm getting more coffee. Jeff? Give me a hand?"

Jeff nodded and headed off behind Danneel.

Jensen set his coffee down and turned in his chair, so he was facing Jared. "Well, we're alone. Are you panicking yet?"

"I'm really not the panicking type," Jared answered after a few moments of silence.

It made sense. In Jared's line of work, he probably wouldn’t' have lasted very long if he panicked easily. "Answer a personal question for me?"

Nodding, Jared smiled slightly. "If it's not _too_ personal."

"What do you do with your free time?"

"I don't have any free time."

Jensen rolled his eyes. "Everyone has free time." He knew Jared was a busy man, but everyone had to have moments of peace in between the moments of chaos when they took a few seconds to relax.

But, Jared was shaking his head. "My… work is my life, Jensen. It doesn't leave much time for anything else."

"Well, Jared Padalecki, I think that very sad. Everyone needs to have some fun occasionally."

Jared squinted his eyes and looked across the dance floor towards the kitchen. "Jeff better be back soon. We're supposed to meet someone in about an hour."

"He just went to get coffee, not to climb Mount Everest."

"Mmm," Jared said distractedly.

"I've got an idea," Jensen said. He smacked his hand down on the table and stood. "Come on."

Without moving, Jared looked up at Jensen. "Where?"

Reaching down, Jensen picked up Jared's hand and tugged. "C'mon. Let's dance. It's not rap music."

"No." Jared shook his head and sat back in the chair. He pulled his hand back slowly, but Jensen held on.

"Just relax, Jared. One dance won't kill you. It's your club. People will be happy to see you enjoying yourself."

"No, Jensen," Jared said firmly. "Sit down. I'm just waiting for Jeff."

A little frustrated, Jensen tugged harder on Jared's hand. He began to swing his hips back and forth in time to the music as he moved closer to Jared.

"Jensen-"

"- Come _on_." The caffeine was giving Jensen a buzz of energy and he wanted to dance. More than that, he _really_ wanted to dance with Jared.

"Enough, Jensen," Jared yanked his hand free from Jensen's and glared at him.

"Oh, loosen up." Jensen figured he had already crossed a line, so he might as well keep going. He stepped in front of Jared, moving between his legs and crowding into his personal space. He trailed the tip of his middle finger along the shoulder of Jared's shirt, following the fine seam. "One dance, I'm irresistible and you know it."

For a few moments, Jared stared up at Jensen, his eyes were dark, his cheeks ruddy. Then the muscles in his shoulders tensed and he shot up to his feet pushing Jensen back. His chair fell backward, and Jensen heard the wood crack when it hit the floor. "I said, _no_."

Jensen had never heard Jared raise his voice before, but he didn't much care to hear it again. He stumbled back a couple of steps, then bumped into the table.

"Jared?" Danneel's voice sounded a little tense. "Everything okay?"

Jared's fists were clenched at his sides, the tendons in his neck were tight and his lips were set in a thin line. "Jeff!" he barked.

Jensen took a couple more steps to the side then turned to look at Danneel.

Danneel blinked a few times as she stared across the table at Jared. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Jared snapped. "Jeff, let's go." He didn't wait for Jeff, just strode across the dance floor, shouldering his way through the crowd.

Smiling apologetically at Danneel, Jeff shrugged and set down the plate he was carrying. He headed off after Jared, leaving Jensen wondering how the hell everything had changed so quickly.

"Jensen?" Danneel sat down the pot of coffee, and mugs she was holding then moved towards Jensen.

"I'm fine." Jensen ran a hand through his hair then dragged it down his face. He had no idea how things had gone from a conversation to Jared being so angry. It happened so quickly, Jensen was still trying to figure out what random ingredient had been added to the conversation and made it curdle.

"What the hell happened?" Danneel leaned back against the table in front of Jensen and folded her arms across her chest.

"My fault," Jensen said gruffly. It had to have been his fault, because, well, he wasn't entirely sure.

"Jensen, he has a complicated life. He doesn't always think before he speaks." Danneel's normally rosy cheeks were a little pale and she looked uncharacteristically tired.

But it was just more excuses. Jensen was getting really tired of conflict, which was all he ever seemed to get from Jared. "I'm really tired. Don't – it was a great night. I'm gonna-" Jensen waved his hand towards the back door that led to the staff rooms. There was really no point in sticking around and trying to explain anything.

"Jensen, look. I don't know what went on, but Jared has a hard exterior. He's alive now because he's gotten very good at being alone."

Jensen held up his hands in surrender. "I'm done, Danneel. I need some sleep."

Jensen turned quickly and headed to his room.

He wasn't entirely sure what he was _done_ with but he sure as hell didn't like the way that he felt. There was something about Jared that drew Jensen in, made him think that _maybe_ he was worth some kind of effort, maybe he was worth getting to know. Maybe, he wasn't.

-=-=-=-

A couple more days passed. Thankfully, Jensen only saw Jared from a distance. He seemed busy, as usual, but Jensen didn't bother trying to figure out what the man was doing. Instead, he focused on learning the ropes behind the bar and spending time with Rachel as she settled in.

He felt as though things were settling into a comfortable rhythm for him. Then Danneel asked him to take a sandwich upstairs for Jeff.

"No," Jensen said immediately. "Get someone else to do it. Jared hates me."

Hands on hips, Danneel frowned as she peered up at Jensen. "You know, for a big guy you're a real baby."

Jensen made a noise that he hoped Danneel would interpret as dismissive. "I'm only twenty-one. I'm still learning to adult. How about Cindy takes it up there?"

Shaking her head, Danneel slid the plate towards Jensen. "It's _just_ Jeff. I thought you liked him."

The look on Danneel's face was purely to make Jensen feel bad; he was certain of it. Yes, he did like Jeff. And no, there really was no reason why he shouldn't go upstairs and give the man a fucking sandwich.

"Of course,… fine. Fine!" Jensen snatched the sandwich off the bar and shot Danneel, what he hoped was a filthy look.

She laughed. Not the result Jensen was aiming for.

He hurried across the dance floor, darting between people with practiced ease, jogged up the stairs and then walked quietly down the hallway.

"Hey, Jensen. How are you doing?" Jeff asked. He stood and tossed his phone down on the couch behind him.

"Okay. Here's your sandwich."

"Lifesaver. I haven't eaten since six o'clock this morning." Jeff took the plate then frowned as he looked down at it.

"Something wrong with it?"

Jeff shook his head. "Why haven't you been around?"

"What?" Jensen rolled his shoulders and looked down at the scuffed toes of his black boots. Finally, he shrugged when he realized Jeff was waiting for an answer. "I've been here. Working. Getting to know my way around."

Jeff's expression softened, and he sat down on the arm of the couch and set the plate down on the seat beside him. "You haven't been up here though."

"I'm not completely insane, Jeff." Surely Jeff had found out that Jared had been _pretty_ clear about the way he felt. There wasn't a question in Jensen's mind about how Jared felt about him.

"Jared's… he's a complex guy," Jeff said.

"No, Jeff, he's really not," Jensen answered. "He's been crystal clear that he wants me to keep my distance."

"I'm not so sure that's what's going on," Jeff said.

"Are you telling me not to give up? Because I don't think my ego can withstand anymore encounters with that man." It hadn't been that long since Jensen had arrived at Dead Reckoning when it came right down to it. But if he was honest, one of the reasons he'd stayed was because of Jared. It sounded cliché but there was something about Jared that made Jensen want to wrap his arms around him and hold on. But, on the other hand, Jensen wasn't insane.

There was nothing but silence in the hall and when Jensen raised his gaze he found Jeff staring at him. Jensen sighed. "You know what the worst part is, Jeff? For some stupid reason, I actually thought he – fuck – I don't know."

Reaching out, Jeff grabbed Jensen's hand and squeezed it. "Jensen, Jared is a good man. There's been some crazy shit happening in his life." Jeff reached up and tousled Jensen's hair.

The door to the office swung open and Jared appeared behind Jeff. His gaze narrowed, and he stared at Jensen for a few agonizing heartbeats. "Jensen, get back downstairs."

Jeff let go of Jensen's hand and groaned as he stood. "Jared, the kid was just-"

" _Not_ now, Jeff," Jared snapped. "Jensen, you stay away from the office."

All the blood running through Jensen's veins ran cold and he stared back, standing his ground. "Danneel asked me to-"

"-I'll speak with her. Just… just stay downstairs. Get out of here." Jared stared at Jensen a moment longer then gestured to the stairs.

After a shaky, deep breath, Jensen turned and headed towards the stairs. He stopped _right_ beside Jared and stared up at him. "You have _no_ right to speak to me like that.”

When Jared simply turned and headed into his office, Jensen jogged down the stairs.

-=-=-=-

As soon as Danneel saw Jared emerge from the back of the Club, she grabbed a towel and began furiously cleaning the bar.

He stopped across from her and sat on one of the empty stools. "You've been ignoring me for three days."

"Yup." Danneel focused on a black mark on the wood surface and made _certain_ she didn't look up at Jared.

Jared let out a rather epic sigh and leaned in closer. "Can we talk?"

Danneel had successfully avoided speaking with Jared in the days since he had decided to treat Jensen like shit. She wasn't sure that was long enough. "What do you need?"

"Is Jensen okay?"

When Danneel looked up, she fixed Jared with her coldest stare. "Have you asked _him_?"

"Danneel, I just want to know if he's alright," Jared answered impatiently.

"It's none of your business," Danneel snapped. She's known Jared a long time and she'd never been angry with him before. But, she's had enough of his ridiculous reluctance to get close to anyone. She'd been his friend and confidant long enough to know that Jared actually _liked_ Jensen; she could see it. Okay, so at twenty-one, Jensen might not be old enough to understand the ins and outs of Jared's business but that didn’t give Jared license to treat him like he was completely irrelevant.

"None of my business? This whole place and everyone in it is my business," Jared said. He looked exasperated. He ran a hand through his hair then adjusted his suit jacket as though he didn't know what to do with his hands.

"Don't you dare pull that shit on me." Danneel threw the towel at Jared. It hit his chest and flopped harmlessly into his lap. "Jensen is a sweetheart. You, on the other hand, are an asshole."

"Not all the time," Jared said weakly.

Danneel sighed. Jared _did_ look like he felt a little guilty. But, in Danneel's experience, that wasn't necessarily enough for him to make a change.

Sighing, Danneel rested her elbows on the bar and studied Jared's face for a long enough that he began to fidget slightly.

"What?" he asked nervously.

"You can't keep doing this."

"What? Doing what?"

"Shutting everyone out," Danneel answered with a sad smile on her face.

Jared drew in a deep breath, slowly and deliberately. He tilted his head slightly and smiled sadly. "It puts people at risk. Just being around me is dangerous."

"Jeff and I are both fine," Danneel said quickly. She knew the way Jared's mind worked. He was always making sure that everyone around him was safe, as though it was solely his responsibility.

"Jeff is tough as nails and you, my beautiful friend, are the most amazing woman I've ever met. You've been through hell already and made it back."

It was a compliment. Danneel was sure of that, but she knew that Jared gave her too much credit. She wasn't indestructible, no one was. Nor was Jared responsible for protecting everyone in his life. But, he would never accept that. "You're not some sort of magical savior, Jared."

"No, but I can make sure that I don't drag anyone else down with me," Jared said firmly. As he looked down at his hands, his hair fell forward and hid his eyes.

Danneel reached across the bar and swept the hair back. She let her fingers trail over Jared's cheek. "You don't have to do everything alone. I hope you figure that out before it's too late."

Nodding, Jared smiled warmly and pressed Danneel's hand against his cheek. "Love you, Dani."

-=-=-=-

It was a quiet evening at the Club, but Jensen was hanging out behind the bar with Danneel anyway. He didn't want to sit in his room, he'd walked for miles since his run-in with Jared, and there really wasn't much else he wanted to do.

Danneel was good company. She made him laugh and she always made him feel _important_. It shouldn't really matter, but it did. Danneel, Cindy, Jeff – they were becoming Jensen's new family. He needed a family.

When Jeff emerged from the office staircase, Jensen made a point of disappearing into the cooler before Jared appeared. He just didn't want to see him. It brought up a rat's nest of emotion, confusion, and uncertainty.

When he peered through the slightly open cooler door to see if the coast was clear, Danneel busted him.

"You can come out now, Jensen."

Jensen emerged from behind the heavy, metal door. "I was getting some more ice."

Danneel glanced pointedly at Jensen's empty hands and planted her hands on her hips. "Really?"

"I forgot it," Jensen said weakly. He slammed the door closed, latched it and wandered over to stand beside Danneel.

"Here's the thing, Jensen."

Rolling his eyes, Jensen reached for the stool that was behind him. "I have a feeling I had better sit down for this."

"Scared you're going to fall asleep?"

"Definitely not," Jensen said with a grin on his face. "I just know what your lectures can be like. I may be here a while."

Danneel meant well. She was like a big sister to Jensen. She worried too much, she cared too much. She was Jared's cheerleader, but Jensen was never quite sure what she hoped to accomplish. Jared was always going to be the kind of man who polarized people; that would never change.

"Jared struggles, you know," Danneel said once Jensen was comfortable.

"With what?"

"Everything. He doesn't let it show but he really is under a lot of stress all the time." Danneel sat on another stool, hooking the heels of her boots over the footrest.

"Because he kills people?" It was a shitty thing for Jensen to say. Technically, he had _no_ idea what Jared did. No one talked about it. It all happened quietly and went unspoken.

"Don't simplify what he does, Jensen. Nothing he does is straightforward or easy." She reached out and picked up one of the maraschino cherries that was in a bowl on the bar.

"He chose this life," Jensen said not unkindly. He could understand some of it. It hadn't been _his_ choice to end up living on the streets but he didn't make the same choices that many people did. He couldn't help feeling like there were always options if you were willing to look for them.

"And we chose ours. That doesn’t mean that we can't cut each other a little slack now and again." Danneel popped the cherry in her mouth and chewed slowly. 

"Is it already the end of tonight's lecture?"

"Smartass," Danneel muttered as she slipped off the stool. "Do dishes or something, Jensen. Make yourself useful."

-=-=-=-

Several more days passed before Jensen had no choice but to see Jared. It was Jensen's first full shift behind the bar. Danneel had left at one in the morning, wishing him luck. Jared had sat down at the bar at about one fifteen. Jensen would put money on Jared having waited until Danneel left before he ventured out.

Jensen nodded at Jared once when he sat down, then he moved on down the bar to continue serving people. Each time he swept past Jared, he could tell that Jared was trying to catch his eye.

Jensen figured that Jared wanted to say something to him, but he wasn't going to make it easy. Hell, he'd probably come down to the bar to give Jensen shit for something else that he'd done wrong. Where Jared was concerned, there were a lot of rules that Jensen didn't know about.

"Jensen." Jared's voice was full of tension. He was leaned into the bar with furrows creasing his brow.

"I'm pretty busy, Jared." Jensen poured two more beers and headed back down to drop them off. He was hoping that Jared would get tired of waiting and would retreat to his office.

There were only so many things that Jensen could do if he was avoiding one entire end of the bar. The second time he swept past Jared, he could feel the man's eyes on him. He fumbled the tray of glasses he yanked out of the washer. It was a close call.

"Jensen, you can take a moment to speak to me," Jared said loud enough for Jensen to hear _very_ clearly.

Jensen took a deep breath and was just about to answer when another voice piped up.

"Can I have a whiskey, Bud?" A broad-shouldered, blond guy was leaning against the bar beside Jared. There was a bright smile on his face.

"Sure," Jensen said to the customer. He glanced at Jared briefly then turned around and grabbed a bottle from behind him. He flipped a glass over then poured a shot, picked up the glass and held it out. "Here you go."

Jared spun on his stool and grabbed Jensen's wrist tightly. The whiskey slopped over the side of the glass.

The blond customer grabbed Jared's shoulder. "Hey, pal. You need to back off and leave him alone."

Jensen's eyes widened, and he turned his head slowly, so he could see Jared's face. He didn't like the expression he saw there.

Jared barely moved a muscle. His eyes didn't leave Jensen's face. "Never tell me what to do and let go of me, before I make you regret it."

As usual, Jeff appeared at exactly the right moment. "Jared? You need me to handle this for you?"

Recognition slid onto the blond customer's face as he put the pieces together. "I'm sorry. I was, uh, I was just leaving."

"I'll just make sure he finds the door," Jeff said gruffly as he headed off.

Finally, Jensen tore his gaze from Jared's. He looked down at where Jared's fingers were tight on his wrist. He loved the feel of Jared's hand on him, he could feel the throb of his own pulse under Jared's grip. "That's the most emotion I've seen from you since we met.”

"I don't like being told what to do," Jared said flatly.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Jensen said. He finally pulled his wrist free and realized he was still holding the whiskey. Shrugging, he drained the glass and set it down on the bar. "What do you want, Jared? I've stayed away from you, just like you ordered."

"That wasn't how I intended it. I'm just used to giving orders."

"Again. Not surprised," Jensen said.

"I'm sorry," Jared said quietly. He pressed both his palms to the bar as though he was trying to keep his cool.

"Well, you don’t apologize often from what I hear." Jensen wasn't sure why he said it. Really? He should just accept the apology and move on.

Jared laughed dryly. "Funny. I feel like I've been doing a lot of it lately. Listen, I'm working late tonight-"

"- Congratulations."

Ignoring the barb, Jared closed his eyes for a few moments before continuing. "Could you bring me a burger just before the kitchen closes?"

 _No_ was on the tip of Jensen's tongue but Jensen nodded instead. There was no point in trying to make Jared suffer.

Looking relieved, Jared smiled slightly as he stood. "Okay. Thanks. I'll see you later."

Jensen watched Jared weave his way back through the crowd of people. It was going to be an interesting night

-=-=-=-

When Jensen knocked on the office door, Jared called out for him to come in. Jensen pushed the heavy door open and headed inside.

Jared and Jeff were sitting on opposite sides of the desk. They had their jackets off and their shirt sleeves rolled up. They were pouring over, what looked like, a huge set of blueprints.

"Hey, Jensen," Jared said when he looked up. "We're almost done. Can you wait a few minutes?"

Nodding, Jensen wandered over to the couch, set the covered plate down then sat. He was wrong, the couch wasn’t very comfortable. His back was aching from standing so he shifted around restlessly.

He took a few moments to look around the office again. There were so few personal touches in the room that it gave away no secrets about Jared's personality.

The soft murmur of voices was comforting, and Jensen closed his eyes. It had been a very long night. It was past three in the morning. Cindy was doing the last of the clean-up behind the bar. Jensen was pretty sure he could have fallen asleep standing up.

The sound of the door closing prompted Jensen to open his eyes. When he looked around, he found Jared at the infamous wet bar.

"Would you like a drink, Jensen?"

"What for?"

"I'm being friendly."

"Why?" Again, Jensen wasn't sure why he felt the need to get at Jared the way he did.

"It's a way of saying thanks."

"For what? You gave me an order," Jensen said. That was the way he'd thought about it but, Jared had a point. He _had_ asked.

"I asked for a favor." The whiskey bottle clinked when Jared set it down. There were two glasses in his hands when he stepped out from behind the bar. "Have the drink. Don't have the drink. Whatever you like."

Struggling to his feet, Jensen met Jared halfway and reached out for one of the glasses. When he took it, his fingers brushed Jared's. He made a conscious effort not to think about the way that touch made the hair on the back of his hand stand up.

Rather than standing there and feeling uncomfortable, Jensen walked over to the desk and looked down at the blueprint. "Taking over a new neighborhood?"

It sounded like Jared sighed. He walked over to the desk and sat down on the edge of it. "Actually, it's a blueprint for a building we're hoping to finance for the east village."

Jared pointed to one part of the building. "This part will be a youth center. It's a surprise for Danneel. We only have six rooms here, so I thought she might appreciate it if there was somewhere she could actually meet with people."

 _That_ was a surprise to Jensen as well. "Well, I feel like shit now."

Shrugging a shoulder, Jared set his glass down and smoothed a hand over the blueprint.

On the move again, Jensen wandered over to the wet bar. He trailed his finger along the detailed scrollwork on the front. It was obviously handmade. It was a beautiful place.

"Do you ever sit still?" Jared asked.

"Jared, it's always safer to keeping moving."

"No one's going to hurt you here, Jensen. Not here."

"I can take care of myself," Jensen said a little too quickly.

"I'm sure you can. Were you – were you on the streets for long?"

It was the very first time that Jared had shown the slightest bit of interest in Jensen's life. But, Jensen wasn't sure that it was a good idea for them to get to know each other after all... "Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity? I was just wondering why you ended up here." Jared was still sitting on the corner of his desk, but he was facing Jensen; the blueprint behind him forgotten.

"But, it shouldn't matter," Jensen answered. "You want to keep your distance from me, right?"

"Are you scared of answering a few questions?" There was a slight smile on Jared's face and he looked amused.

"Are you?" the back and forth was making Jensen feel a little off-kilter.

"Questions, or at least, answering them can end up being nails in a coffin lid."

Jensen wandered back over to the couch and looked at the temple painting. "Wow. That's pretty dramatic."

Jared snorted softly. "I'm not the dramatic type.”

"You aren't? How about this? Do you take chances?" Turning slowly, Jensen strolled back to the desk and stopped a few paces away from Jared.

"I take a lot of chances."

"Then I have a proposition for you." The idea just seemed to pop into Jensen's mind, fully formed and tantalizing. "We take turns asking questions. Every time you avoid answering one then I get to come closer."

There was a look of complete disbelief on Jared's face and he shook his head slowly. "A game? Really?"

"Sure. Brave enough?"

"Come on, Jensen. It's the middle of the night," Jared said quietly.

Jensen took a step closer. "There, it's working already."

For a long time, Jared looked like he was going to continue to refuse, then his expression softened slightly. "Alright."

"That guy at the bar, what would you have done to him if he hadn't let go of you?"

"Probably nothing," Jared said. "Jeff always says that my bark is worse than my bite."

Jensen was a little disappointed that Jared had answered so casually. "Your turn."

"How long were you on the streets?" Jared asked.

"A couple of years, not that long, really." Jensen shifted his weight onto his back foot and folded his arms. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-eight," Jared said looking a little relieved. "How did you end up on the streets?”

"My Dad strongly disagreed with my choice of potential prom dates. It seemed like a good idea for me to move on quickly before things got… uglier."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" It was a bold move, but Jensen was tired of getting nowhere. He'd taken a chance coming up to the office, so he figured it was Jared's turn to go out on a limb.

The expression on Jared's face changed slowly. His mouth tightened, a twitching muscle appeared in his jaw.

Even though Jared remained silent, Jensen could tell there would be no answer to his question. "Not gonna answer."

Jared shook his head almost imperceptibly, eyes never leaving Jensen's face.

Taking a step closer, Jensen ended up standing just inside the V of Jared's legs.

There was a subtle change on Jared's face. The normally bright, hazel eyes were almost completely back. There was a slight pink blush on his cheeks that made him look younger, less tired.

"Your turn," Jensen said. He couldn't stop his gaze from wandering. Jared's lips, his eyes, the clenched hand at his side. Jensen _knew_ that Jared wanted him, Jensen just had to force his hand.

Jared cleared his throat and wetted his lips. "When you came in your had bruises on your face. Where did they come from?"

Obviously, Jared had been paying more attention in the past than Jensen had suspected. "Met a guy on the street who had trouble believing that I didn't want to suck his cock."

Eyes widening slightly, Jared shifted slightly on the desk. His hands unclenched so he could curl his fingers over the edge of the desk.

There were so many questions in Jensen's mind, the only problem he was having was choosing one. He knew so little about Jared. "What exactly is your business, Jared?"

Lips pressed tightly together, Jared tilted his head slightly then shook his head from side to side.

Jensen took a deep breath as subtly as he could and stepped closer. He'd never been so close to Jared. He could feel the heat radiating from Jared's body and without really thinking about it, Jensen settled both hands on Jared's hips.

It could be Jensen's imagination, but he was certain he could feel Jared trembling. It almost made him take pity on Jared. _Almost._ "Your turn."

When Jared looked up, his lips were parted slightly. A pulse fluttered under the lightly stubbled skin on Jared's neck. Jensen felt heat rising in his body as he realized that _he_ was making Jared's heart race.

Jared swallowed and blinked a few times. "Why are you here?"

"Here in the Club or here in your office?"

"Is that you not answering my question?" Jared asked softly.

Jensen tightened his grip on Jared's hips. He could feel sharp hip bones under his thumbs. "I was just getting clarification; that doesn't count as a no."

"Here," Jared said. "Why are you _right_ here?" Jared's eyes remained locked on Jensen's.

"Because you told me to bring you the burger that's currently getting _very_ cold over there on the table." It was crazy to be there, to be standing so close to Jared after so many days of avoiding him.

"Is that the only reason?" Those cat-like, multi-colored eyes narrowed slightly.

Smiling, Jensen dug his thumbs into Jared's body a little more firmly. "You don't get to ask another question yet."

Jared was still for a moment, then nodded once.

The moist heat of Jared's breath tickled Jensen's lips and he ran his tongue over them. "Jared, what are you afraid of?"

 _God_ , those eyes. Those eyes would be the death of Jensen. They narrowed, and widened slowly, all dark and glistening and full of the emotion that was normally buried so deeply. Jared shook his head.

[](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/twoboys2love/66949000/31680/31680_original.jpg)

A shaky exhale escaped Jensen's lips and he slid his hands up over Jared's belt and onto the smooth, white cotton of his shirt. The hard body that filled out the material so nicely, radiated heat against Jensen's palms.

As Jensen watched, Jared's lashes fluttered then pressed hard against his ruddy cheeks.

Jensen slid his hands higher, fingers bumping over Jared's ribs, then moving over the muscular curves of his chest.

Heart pounding in his chest, Jensen ran his middle finger along the closure of Jared's shirt. The moment he touched the hot skin of Jared's throat, Jensen felt a fire race down his spine. He gasped and bit down on his bottom lip when Jared's eyes were suddenly open – staring at him and full of hesitation.

 _Fear_ \- as though the touch of Jensen's fingers was one of the most terrifying things Jared had ever felt.

A frown slid onto Jensen's face as his fingers slid along Jared's jaw. His thumb ran along the soft well of Jared's bottom lip.

Jared's hand snapped up and grabbed Jensen's wrist. The grip was so tight that Jensen could feel the throb of his racing pulse. "Jared-"

"- Please. Just leave."

Sadness sliced into Jensen's chest. Realization dawned on him and he felt the burn of tears in his eyes. Jared wasn't even able to meet him halfway.

Finally, Jensen dropped his gaze. He couldn't face any more of the fear and reluctance in Jared's eyes.

Nodding once, Jensen stepped back, and Jared released his wrist.

"Jensen, look at me," Jared almost whispered.

But, Jensen just shook his head. He kept his gaze averted and headed towards the door. That look of fear had moved him; it left an ache in his chest that hurt like hell.

It wasn't until the office door closed behind him, that Jensen realized how sad he was.

-=-=-=-

For a few days, Jared didn't appear on the main floor of the club. At least, he didn't show up when Jensen was around. Whether it was deliberate or not, Jensen had no idea.

By the end of the week, Jared seemed to be coming and going as usual. He would nod at Jensen, sometimes he even smiled slightly. But, as far as Jensen was concerned, it was no different than the way Jared would have greeted anyone in the club.

He decided to just accept the way things were. Jared was old enough that he might be a little set in his ways. There might be more to it, but Jensen found the whole thing exhausting.

If Danneel and Cindy noticed that anything had changed, they didn't mention it. Knowing Danneel as he was beginning to, she probably thought that it just kept things from getting too complicated. It seemed that Jared's life was already complicated enough.

So, Jensen worked behind the bar when he was needed, worked with Danneel when she asked and read when he had the time.

All things considered, it wasn't a bad way to live. It would be better if he didn't have to see tall, brunette and completely unavailable periodically. But, that was just the way life worked sometimes.

Jensen could put up with it. Just like he put up with Cindy's bad jokes and the way that she felt compelled to introduce him to every single gay man she knew. Surprisingly, Cindy knew quite a few gay men. Jensen wasn't interested in going on any blind dates.

Just about the time Jensen began to relax into his new routine, things seemed to change again. Wasn't that always the way?

When Jensen finished his shift behind the bar, he was about to head to his room when he spotted Danneel waving to him from one of the tables the staff frequented. Smiling, Jensen headed over to join her.

It wasn't until he arrived at the table that he realized she was sitting with Jared. The reason that Jensen didn't realize it was Jared was partly because of the way he was dressed.

Jared was wearing faded blue jeans and an old t-shirt from some fitness place. The dark red t-shirt was so worn that the cotton was thin and clung to the curves and angles of Jared's body. It clung to his chest in such a way that Jensen had to force himself to look away.

"Hey, Dani. Jared." Jensen perched on the empty chair between them. "I was just on my way to bed."

"I'm heading home," Danneel said. "I just wanted to see how your shift was."

"Good," Jensen said. He made no effort to stifle the yawn that he could feel building.

Danneel stood and slipped her denim jacket on. "Thanks for the talk, Jared. I'll email you later."

"Anytime," Jared said. "And text me when you're home safely."

Rolling her eyes, Danneel began to walk away. "Yes, Dad."

Jared glanced over at Jensen, looking a little nervous. "Jensen, have a drink with me?"

Jensen looked up at Danneel and could see she was as surprised as he was. She shrugged a shoulder and waggled her fingers as she waved good-bye.

"I'm pretty tired," Jensen lied. "I should probably go to bed."

"Just one?" Jared asked again. His hair was damp and swept back from his face. It looked darker than usual and framed his face differently. "I'd like your company."

Jensen itched his forearm and looked down at it as though he was checking for a bite or something. He wasn't. Really, he was just buying himself some time. He wanted to stay; he really did but the rational part of his brain was trying to tell him that it wasn't a good idea.

His mistake was glancing up at Jared. The man looked so different in casual clothes, softer somehow, more relaxed. There was warmth in his eyes that Jensen hadn't seen before. "You drunk or something?"

Smiling, Jared shook his head. "No, why do you ask?"

"You seem to want to avoid me most of the time. Now, here you are asking me to have a drink with you." It _was_ a little confusing but Jensen knew he was still sitting there and had made no move to leave. He continued to ignore that aggravating voice in his head that was telling him that he'd only regret if he stayed.

"I don't _try_ and avoid you," Jared answered. "It just happens. Jeff and I have been really busy." Jared pushed a half-empty pitcher of beer towards Jensen, then flipped over an empty glass and set it in front of Jensen. He lifted his eyebrows and waited.

There sure were a lot of reasons for Jensen to leave. He could politely say goodnight; just tell Jared that he really _was_ tired. "Okay. One beer."

Jared filled the glass in front of Jensen, set the pitcher down and raised his own glass towards Jensen before taking a drink.

The beer tasted good and Jensen drank almost half the glass before setting it down. When he looked up, Jared looked amused.

Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, Jensen beamed a warm smile at his boss. "Thirsty."

"I see that." Jared sat back and stretched his legs out under the table.

"What's the occasion?" Jensen asked.

"Occasion?"

Gesturing to Jared's clothing, Jensen frowned slightly. "You look… a lot more casual than you usually do. What's up?"

When Jared looked down at the hand he was running down the front of his t-shirt, a few strands of damp hair fell forward. "I was down in the gym. This was what I changed into."

Jensen took advantage of the subject of their conversation to take another look at Jared's t-shirt. It was _just_ tight enough that Jensen could tell exactly what the results were of Jared working out as often as he did.

"You like it?"

Blinking a few times, Jensen looked down at his beer as he felt his cheeks warming with a sudden blush. "Do I like what?"

"The casual dress."

"Do you care what I think?" It was another one of those things that just slipped out. It was becoming clearer to Jensen that he really needed to work on getting a filter between his brain and his mouth.

Rather than answering the question, Jared ignored it. "You said you don’t work out."

"I'm not the working out type."

"What type are you?" Jared folded his legs under his chair and leaned forward.

He was doing a rather good job of looking interested. It was progression, so Jensen decided to go with it. "I read. Danneel's been giving me tons of books. And when I'm not working here or with Danneel… I walk sometimes."

"Walk?" Jared swallowed some more beer and set his glass back down.

"I walk for hours. It feels good to be moving. And I love being outside." It was probably leftover from when Jensen was a kid. He'd spent so many beautiful summer days roaming the town with his friends.

"I'd love to do that," Jared said wistfully.

"You can't?" Jensen looked over at the back door pointedly. "Outside is twenty feet away, Jared. You just have to walk over there."

"It's not that easy for me," Jared said flatly.

"Why?"

"Work," Jared said. He took another drink of his beer and then reached up to smooth his hair back. "All this time you spend walking. What do you think about?"

It was an uncharacteristically personal question but, once more, Jensen decided to go with it. "My day. The things I want to do. Sometimes, I think about my family." _Family_. Jensen hadn't been in contact with his family since he'd run. He did wonder what things were like. Had his brother gotten into the college he wanted? Was his little sister thinking about her first prom yet? They were all questions that he would probably never get answers to.

"Are you still happy staying here?" Jared always seemed so much happier asking questions than answering them.

Nodding, Jensen ran his finger through the condensation on the side of his glass. He drew a circle and then a small wavy line. "I'm happy. Mostly? I love working with Danneel. That's _real_ stuff," Jensen said without looking away from his glass.

"Real?" Jared shifted his chair a little closer to Jensen and leaned in as though he was having trouble hearing.

Jensen tilted his head slightly and looked up at Jared. "It feels like I'm doing something good. The people Danneel brings here, they really need a change and you help her to make that possible."

Nodding, Jared leaned on the arm of the chair and watched Jensen's finger still moving on the glass. "Danneel is amazing. She's one of the best people I've ever met."

"You helped her as well," Jensen said. He didn't _ask_ because he knew. He also knew that Jared would never admit to anything that he considered to be personal for Danneel.

"She's a very strong woman. She underestimates herself a lot." Jared shifted on his chair, looking about as uncomfortable as Jensen had expected.

"I told you about me. Fair’s fair, Jared." Jensen was trying out the flavor of Jared's first name; the way it felt as it rolled off his tongue.

Jared shook his hair out of his eyes then looked up at Jensen. "I don't want to play a game again. I think I've already proved how bad I am at that."

Smiling in the hopes that Jared would know he was off the hook, Jensen sat back and pushed his half-empty glass away. "I was just wondering what you do in your free time. You know, what do you enjoy?"

"Certainly not my work," Jared said quickly. "I work out a lot, usually with Jeff."

"How did you meet him?" Questions that were about other people shouldn't make Jared feel too uncomfortable.

"We worked for Pellegrino together. When I had to leave, Jeff came with me," Jared said. "Amongst many other, loyalty is one of Jeff's best qualities."

 _Loyalty_ should be a word that made Jeff seem admirable. But, all Jensen could think about was movies like _Goodfellas_. He supposed the reality of Jared's life was nothing like a movie script, but he had little to compare it to. "He's your best friend."

"I suppose," Jared said noncommittally.

Another strange answer. Jensen had always figured that it would be obvious who a person's best friend was. "What do you enjoy then?"

It was another question that should be easy to answer. The look on Jared's face was just… confused. Clearly, he was searching for an answer and not coming up with one.

"Come on, Jared. Even _you_ must be able to tell me what you like to do," Jensen prodded. "There must be something you like to do besides working out."

Jared shrugged. "Sometimes, I cook."

"Cooking." Not at all what Jensen had expected. "What about something that is kind of… frivolous."

Shrugging again, Jared drank some of his beer. When he set it down, he glanced over at Jensen and smiled slightly. "I guess I just don't know, Jensen. Sorry."

For a few moments, Jensen stared at Jared, trying to figure out what the hell was going on in his mind. Jared didn't seem to have any idea how to relax or enjoy himself. That just made Jensen sad.

"Well, Jared? I’m tired. It was a long day, I smell like beer and I need some sleep." Jensen stood slowly and stretched his back. "Thanks for the drink... and the company.”

Jared leaned back in his chair and looked up at Jensen. "Thanks for staying."

There weren't many things that Jensen had a weakness for. But, the way Jared was looking up at him from under his lashes made him feel a little weak at the knees.

He didn't take long to think about it because he would probably change his mind. He leaned down, hand on Jared's shoulder to support his weight and pressed his lips to Jared's.

The kiss was almost chaste. Soft lips fit together perfectly and all the beautiful heat in the world began to slide along Jensen's flesh with every heartbeat that passed.

Jared didn't pull away and all the feelings Jensen had tried to bury clawed their way back to the surface. No matter how little he knew about Jared. No matter how many times Jared pushed him away. Jensen _still_ wanted him more than he'd wanted anyone in his entire life. It was a problem.

Jensen could feel Jared's shoulder tighten under his palm and he retreated quickly.

Jared's eyes remained closed for a long moment, then when he opened them he stared into Jensen's eyes with a dark intensity.

When Jensen tried to breathe, he couldn’t get enough air. He didn't fight his next instinct when it came up. He reached out and brushed a strand of dark hair back out of Jared's eyes. "Night, Jared."

Without bothering to wait for an answer, Jensen turned and headed down the hall towards his room. His heart didn't stop racing for a good half an hour.

-=-=-=-

The next day was busier than hell. One of the pipes behind the bar busted and when Jensen stumbled out of his room at eight in the morning in search of coffee he stepped in a pond of very cold water.

Cindy called a plumber who fixed the pipes. Then Jensen helped her mop up the water.

Jared and Jeff left shortly after the plumber and five minutes before Danneel arrived. She seemed on the verge of a breakdown because the order she'd sent to the liquor supplier hadn't arrived. It was three days late and that meant they were significantly understocked with some of the basics.

By lunchtime, Jensen was ready to quit. Everyone seemed stressed out and cranky. It wasn't a lot of fun.

Fortunately, once the club was open, things began to settle down into a more normal routine. It was still busier than hell, but that was better than the morning. The plumbing all seemed fine and Danneel was in a much better mood.

The club was throbbing with dancing bodies by the time Jeff returned. He spoke to Danneel; their heads bowed together intimately. He made a call, spoke to Danneel again then headed over to wait at the bottom of the stairs.

As he wiped his hands on a clean towel, Jensen watched because it seemed like Jeff was waiting for something to happen.

After another half a song, Gil appeared through the back door, looked around then ushered Jared inside.

Jensen watched as the two negotiated their way around the dance floor. Gil had his arm over Jared's shoulder and each time one of the spotlights glanced off Jared's face, he looked deathly pale.

When they finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, Gil handed Jared off to Jeff and they all disappeared upstairs to the office.

Danneel brushed past Jensen and, in one smooth maneuver, hopped up onto the bar, spun on her ass and jumped down off the other side.

"Danneel!" Never had Jensen understood what people meant when the said their heart was in their throat but that was _exactly_ where he could feel the thump of his own pulse.

Danneel cast her gaze over her shoulder in Jensen's direction but she turned away quickly and hurried up the stairs.

-=-=-=-

The club was closed and almost empty by the time Danneel came down from the office. She looked exhausted.

It had only been a couple of hours, but it was more than enough time for Jensen to imagine a hundred different things that might have happened to Jared.

"Dani?" Jensen jumped down off the bar. "What happened?"

Danneel took a deep breath and pulled the hair tie off her ponytail. She combed her fingers through it, all the while watching Jensen.

"What?" Jensen threw his hands up as he stepped closer. "Is he okay?"

"He's okay," Danneel said quickly. She stepped into Jensen and slipped her arms around his waist as she pressed her cheek against his chest.

It wasn't quite enough detail for Jensen to relax completely but he felt a little of the tension in his neck and shoulders release. "What the _hell_ happened?"

Danneel sighed and leaned back slightly, so she could look up at Jensen. "Someone who was working with them was also working for Pellegrino."

Pellegrino again. Jensen still had no idea who he was, but he had no intention of interrupting Danneel.

"Jared _trusted_ him. They were all out together on a job and he tried to… hurt Jared."

Jensen _knew_ that Danneel was censoring herself. She probably knew more than anyone else who wasn't directly connected to Jared's business. She would also _never_ reveal anything to Jensen. She'd been clear since day one that Jensen was to have nothing to do with Jared's business.

"Hurt?"

"He shot at-"

Jensen grabbed Danneel and tried to push past her, but she held onto him so tightly that her nails dug into the flesh of his forearms. "Jensen!"

"Shot?" Heart racing, Jensen felt his throat beginning to tighten.

"He is fine, Jensen. He was grazed by a shot before Jeff – Jeff took care of it. It looks worse than it is." Danneel gestured to her temple.

"He's alright," Jensen murmured more to himself than Danneel. Why the _fuck_ did Jared matter so much?

"He's –" Danneel stepped back a little and ran her hands through her hair. "I'm not gonna lie, he was rattled. I mean, that makes sense, right? It was someone he thought he could trust."

Even though Jensen had no idea who they were talking about, he knew how small the circle of people with Jared's trust was. And betrayal? That was one of those things that lingered, sticky and acidic, burning away the longer it stayed. It would eat away at Jared's confidence if he let it. Jensen knew the feeling too well. "Is there anything I can do?"

Brow furrowed, Danneel looked up at Jensen for a few moments as though she was searching for the right answer. "I'm gonna get him some food. He probably won't eat it, but just in case. Can you grab the ice pack from the staff room, a few of the clean towels? Oh, and in the medicine cabinet, there are some Vicodin. He probably won't take those either but take some up there anyway."

Jensen was in motion before Danneel had even finished speaking. He jogged over to the staffroom, gathered what he needed and headed up to Jared's office. When he reached out to knock, Jensen hesitated before his knuckles touched the door. He changed his mind and just opened the door.

Jeff was sitting on the arm of the couch beside Jared. Jared was lying on his side on the couch, holding a cloth to the side of his face. His suit jacket was off, his shirt unbuttoned and there was blood spattered down the side of it.

Jeff stood, slipping his phone into his shirt pocket. When he turned, his pistol was visible in a shoulder harness.

Guns were one of Jensen's least favorite things, but he turned his gaze to Jared once more. "Danneel sent me up with… some things."

Struggling a little, Jared pushed himself upright until he was sitting.

"Jesus _Christ_ , Jared," Jeff almost snarled. "Can't you just lay there for a bit?"

"I'm fine," Jared said weakly.

"You were _shot_. You're not fine," Jeff snapped.

"The bullet grazed-"

"- you could have been killed-"

"-but I wasn't," Jared said sharply. "Because _you_ were there to bail me out, as usual."

Jeff glared at Jared so intensely, Jensen expected to see flames. He cleared his throat and the other two men turned to look at him. "Danneel sent ice."

Peering at Jensen with one eye, Jared nodded.

More than a little surprised, Jensen walked over to the couch and sat down beside Jared. He wrapped the ice pack in one of the towels and exchanged it for the one Jared was holding.

The wound on Jared's temple looked painful and Jensen winced as he folded up the used towel and set it on the table.

"She sent these too." Jensen pulled the bottle of pills out of his pocket and set them on the table. "But, she said you wouldn't take them."

"I will," Jared said softly.

It was a few seconds before Jensen realized Jared would need something to drink. He stood and headed over to the bar quickly.

"Jared, you should go to the hospital. At least, get it checked out," Jeff said as he paced over to the window and looked out over the empty club.

"It's my _head_ , Jeff. I'd be able to tell if something was wrong." Jared grimaced as he shifted the ice pack against his temple.

Jensen listened as he opened a bottle of water and poured it into a glass full of ice.

"You hit the wall… hard. You probably have a concussion."

"I'll stay awake,” Jared said as Jensen returned with the water. He opened the pill bottle and took one out, so he could hand it to Jared along with the water.

"Thanks." Jared tossed the pill into his mouth and washed it down with the water.

"Jensen."

Jeff's gruff voice startled Jensen and he dropped the pill bottle. Fortunately, he'd already put the lid on it. "Yeah?"

"Can you stay here and keep an eye on Jared?"

"Oh, come on," Jared said.

"No, Jared," Jeff continued. "I have to… take care of something and Gil can't get back here to drive Jared home for over an hour." Jeff bent down and picked up something off the desk then put it in his pocket.

"I. What… I'm sure Jared would rather have Danneel up here."

"Danneel's coming with me," Jeff said abruptly. "I need her help with something."

Jensen took a deep breath. There were a lot of _somethings_ being spoken about. "If it's alright with Jared, I can stay up here until Gil gets back." When he glanced at Jared he was surprised to see him nodding.

"That's fine," Jared said. He leaned back against the couch and rested his head against it. "Get out of here, Jeff. You've got better things to do than babysit me."

It looked as though Jeff was going to say something sharp but then he just shook his head and headed for the door. "Keep an eye on him, Jensen. Jared? I told Gil to text when he's almost here."

Jensen watched Jeff leave and once the door clicked shut behind him the room was suddenly _very_ silent.

Reaching down, Jensen picked up the bottle of pills and set it down on the coffee table as quietly as he could.

"You can leave," Jared said. "You're probably tired and I'm fine."

It would be a good idea for Jensen to leave but then Jensen had never been one to give up easily. "You don’t look fine.”

Jared took a deep breath and his lashes fluttered open. He repositioned the ice pack and turned his head slightly, so he could see Jensen. "I'm just giving you the option."

Frustrated, Jensen took a slow, deep breath. What the hell. What could possibly go wrong? "I'm staying. Let me clean you up a bit."

"Alright."

Jensen couldn't help the way his gaze snapped to Jared's face. It wasn't like he'd had much experience with Jared agreeing with him. "First aid supplies?"

"Washroom." Jared pointed towards a door that was to the left of the bar.

It only took a couple of minutes for Jensen to get what he needed, wash his hands and get back to Jared. He knelt on the couch and took the ice pack from Jared. He set it down on the coffee table and picked up one of the disinfectant wipes. "It's probably gonna hurt."

"It's okay." The way Jared was looking at him was making Jensen nervous.

Jensen cleared his throat and leaned closer so that he could press the wipe to the gash along Jared's temple.

"Yeah," Jared said as he tensed.

"Yeah, what?" Jensen dabbed the wipe back along the groove that had been cut into Jared's flesh.

"Yeah, it hurts."

"I'm sorry," Jensen said quietly as he leaned closer. He tried to wipe up most of the blood that was still stuck to Jared's skin. When he smoothed Jared's hair back to expose more of the blood, he stole a glance at Jared's face. He was a little pale.

"It's okay," Jared answered. "Thanks for this."

"No problem." What else could Jensen say? It wasn't every day someone he knew got shot. "Danneel was going to get you some food but I can. Are you hungry?"

"No," Jared answered quietly. "I'm fine."

"Soon as I get a bandage on this I can go down. I don't mind."

"No," Jared said a bit louder. He rested his hand on Jensen's knee and squeezed gently. "Please. Just stay?"

It was the first time Jensen had ever thought Jared looked the slightest bit rattled. Maybe being _grazed_ by a bullet wasn't as casual a thing as Jared wanted him to believe.

Jensen nodded and wiped some more of the dried blood away. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Just an average day at work."

Jensen sat back slightly and got out another wipe. "I'm pretty sure you don't get shot most days."

"Thank God," Jared said.

"Too much excitement?"

"No, it fucking hurts."

Chuckling, Jensen followed the dried blood down the side of Jared's neck until it disappeared under his shirt. Another dilemma. "Take your shirt off. I'll clean the rest of the blood. I'm sure you have clean clothes here somewhere."

Those hazel eyes that Jensen tried to avoid looking at most days, were peering up at him. They were wide and dark, and Jared's forehead looked damp. "You okay?"

Jensen pressed the back of his hand to Jared's forehead; he felt a little warm.

"I'm. I'm okay," Jared answered without taking his eyes off Jensen. "There are clean shirts hanging in the closet back there in the alcove." He pointed over his shoulder.

It was really hard for Jensen to tear his gaze away from Jared's. He glanced in the direction Jared had pointed then nodded.

When he got up off the couch, he felt Jared's hand slide off his knee. "I'll be right back."

As Jensen headed towards the closet, he decided that Jared definitely had to have a head injury because he was being nice. It was a horrible thing to conclude, but that was certainly the way things had gone in the past.

The closet contained two suits, a few white dress shirts, and some slacks. When Jensen looked up he noticed an old t-shirt that was folded and set on the shelf. He grabbed it and returned to Jared's side.

Jared had shed his bloody shirt and was sitting on the edge of the couch.

Jared's bare, broad shoulders looked tense. His back was very muscular and flexed as he reached a hand up to shove his hair back.

Eyes widening slightly, Jensen rounded the couch and sat down again. He tossed the t-shirt over his shoulder and began to clean up the drying blood along Jared's shoulder. "You been shot before?"

Jared shook his head then hissed as the pain caught him. "Bad idea. And no, I haven't been shot before."

"That's a good thing." Jensen tried to keep his gaze on his work, but Jared's body was very distracting. His skin was pale and smooth and _God_ he was fit. Jensen knew that Jared and Jeff worked out a lot, but he hadn't expected what was in front of him.

"I was stabbed once." Jared lifted his arm and pointed to a long-healed scar on his ribs.

Without even thinking, Jensen reached down and traced the scar with his index finger. It was about four inches long and almost perfectly straight. When he reached the end of it, he slid his thumb back along it. "That must have really hurt."

The next breath Jared took was a little shaky. "Yeah. It wasn't something I'd care to repeat."

Jensen had never been stabbed _or_ shot but he was certain that Jared was telling the truth. Realizing that he was still running his finger along Jared's scar, he yanked his hand back as though it was burned. "I. I've never been stabbed. Or shot. Actually, I've never even broken a bone. Weird, right?"

"Rare," Jared murmured. "At least, in my world."

The two men were silent for a while as Jensen finished wiping away the blood. His heart was pounding in his chest because of the fragile ground he had gained. For the moment, Jared seemed to have his defenses on half-strength. It felt good to be allowed to help.

Another shaky breath shook Jared's shoulders and he leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his thighs. "I'm _so_ tired."

Jensen put down the wipe he'd been using and swung his legs down, so he was sitting beside Jared. "I can leave you alone. I'll wait downstairs for-"

"- Don't go," Jared said quickly. When he looked up, his eyes were red-rimmed and glassy. "Please."

Not knowing how to respond, Jensen simply nodded. He pressed his lips together and reached up to smooth Jared's hair away from the wound. He could be crazy, but he was pretty sure he could feel Jared leaning into the touch.

"I never know who the hell to trust," Jared said quietly.

Jensen couldn’t imagine a world like that. He may have had hard times over the years, but he'd always found reliable people when he'd needed them. "You can trust me."

When Jared looked up again, a single tear slipped down his cheek. "I do. Don't even know why." He laughed softly, eyes moving over Jensen's face.

"You sure you want me to stay here with you?" The intensity of Jared's stare was making it a little difficult for Jensen to breathe.

Jared nodded slightly, lips parting enough for his tongue to wet his bottom lip. "I always. I have to make so many decisions. Look out for people. It's-" he shook his head and looked away.

Heat was weaving its way through Jensen's veins. He lifted his hand slowly and curved it over the nape of Jared's neck, under his soft hair. The skin was hot against Jensen's palm. "You don't always have to be the one in control."

[](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/twoboys2love/66949000/31888/31888_original.jpg)

When Jared turned to look at Jensen, their lips were a breath apart.

Jensen shivered as the heat of Jared's breath caressed his bottom lip. Then he leaned in, closed his eyes and pressed his mouth to Jared's.

The kiss was soft, gentle, just Jensen's way of letting Jared _know_. He pulled back slightly, lips only _just_ brushing Jared's. That slight touch was enough to feed the buzz of pleasure that was skittering down along Jensen's spine.

When he finally managed to open his eyes, Jensen sat back slightly so he could see Jared's face. His eyes were still closed, the red blush on his cheeks was a deeper color and he was trembling almost imperceptibly. He lowered the ice pack until his hand settled on the couch.

Overcome with a feeling of protectiveness, Jensen reached up and slid both hands over Jared's cheeks, along his jaw, and into his hair. His thumbs rubbed over the stubble on Jared's cheeks and he sighed. Jared's face was beautiful.

Jensen traced around the mole near Jared's nose, the one on his forehead, then slid his hands further back to cradle Jared's skull.

He leaned in and kissed the height of Jared's cheek softly. He felt Jared shiver and tightened his hold.

He mouthed his way down Jared's cheek, down along his jaw, then brushed their lips together once more. Jared's mouth opened under his, lips soft and pliant.

More hot breath sent a fresh wave of goosebumps sliding down Jensen's arms. Their mouths moved together easily, Jensen taking the lead. He could almost _taste_ the submission.

Jared's breath hitched, his hand grabbing a handful of Jensen's t-shirt.

The kiss deepened, their lips moving more urgently. Jared moaned, and the sound rippled down Jensen's body like a wave. It was a tipping point and Jensen somehow knew that it wasn't the right moment for them.

Sitting back slightly, Jensen forced himself to end the kiss. He kept his eyes locked on Jared's. "Tonight, you've been through-"

A loud ringing made Jensen jump.

"My phone," Jared said pointlessly. He let go of Jensen’s shirt and reached down for the phone sitting on the table, so he could put it to his ear. "Yeah."

Jensen took a moment to compose himself with the help of a deep breath. It didn’t do much. He stood, straightened his t-shirt and walked over to the bar while Jared was on the phone.

"Yeah, sure," Jared said. He was silent for a while and sank back against the couch again. "Okay. I'll be ready."

Jared locked the phone and set it on his thigh.

"Gil?" Jensen walked back over to the couch and sat down again. He kept a little distance between them, more for his own benefit than anything else.

"Yeah," Jared answered. "He'll be out back in ten."

"Good."

"Good?" Eyes still closed, Jared frowned.

"You need to rest," Jensen answered quickly. "You haven't forgotten you were shot, have you?"

Jared let out a sound that, with a little more enthusiasm, might have passed for a chuckle. "The way my head feels right now? I'm unlikely to forget for a very long time."

"Good," Jensen said with a smile on his face. "Maybe you'll try harder to avoid it next time, or, better yet, don't get into that kind of situation again."

When Jared sat up again, he rubbed at his eyes then smiled at Jensen. "I'll do my best."

The smile was one of the best things that Jensen had ever seen. For the very first time, dimples appeared on Jared's cheeks. Just when Jensen was convinced that Jared couldn’t get any better looking, he pulled out dimples. "Come on. Let's get you downstairs."

"I can still walk, Jensen." When he stood, Jared rubbed his head, looked around and then realized his shirt was still draped over Jensen's shoulder. "Can I…"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Jensen slid the shirt off his shoulder and handed it to Jared.

Jared stretched the neck of the t-shirt out and pulled it over his head carefully, pulled it down then bent over and picked up the ice pack.

As Jared headed downstairs, Jensen followed and couldn't help the slight smile that was still on his face.

-=-=-=-

The following night, Jensen was back behind the bar once more. He'd been busier than hell for three hours when Danneel swung her legs over the bar and jumped down in front of him.

Jensen frowned as he almost dropped the shaker he was holding. "Can't you just use the gate like everyone else?"

Laughing, Danneel reached up and pinched Jensen's cheeks. "You're even more adorable when you're cranky."

"I'm tired." Jensen set the shaker down on the bar and stretched his arms up above his head.

"Well, you _were_ up very late last night," Danneel said with an amused glint in her eyes.

"Yes. I was."

"And, it went well?"

Cindy raced past them with three pints of beer. "Danneel!"

"Cindy!"

Jensen leaned back against the bar and folded his arms. His t-shirt felt damp. Only three hours at work and he'd already spilled two drinks on himself.

There was a smirk on Danneel's face.

"What?"

"Jared let you help him." Danneel looked ridiculously pleased with herself.

Help him? Jensen hadn't really thought about it that way. "I suppose he did. Yes."

The grin on Danneel's face grew and her eyebrows lifted slightly.

Jensen couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Don't go getting all excited or hopeful."

"I think it's sweet. I mean, it's not like he has a lot of friends." Danneel picked up a cooler that was on the bar, twisted the top off and drank some of it. She frowned then set it down again.

The idea that Jared might actually _want_ to be around Jensen was a little intoxicating. But, then, Jensen had already seen how quickly things could change with Jared. He would take the progress for what it was and try not to let his expectations get out of hand.

"Jared!" Danneel exclaimed as she peered over Jensen's shoulder. "Did you miss me already?"

As casually as he could manage, Jensen pushed off the bar and turned around. He scratched his nose and counted three exhales before looking across the bar at Jared.

"I came down to speak to Jensen," Jared answered as he glanced at Jensen.

"Wow," Danneel said wryly. "We spent the night together last weekend this is how you treat me? Hands on her hips, she fixed Jared with a _look_.

Jared did a double-take, then frowned as he tore his gaze away from Jensen. "What? We… I told you that you couldn’t walk home that's all…"

Jensen snickered, pleased to see his boss defending himself. "I didn't know you two were involved."

Jared's gaze shot back to Jensen's instantly. "We're not – oh," he said, smiling sheepishly. "You two should be on stage together. _Very_ funny."

Giggling, Danneel blew Jared a kiss and headed down to the other end of the bar where Cindy was working.

"What's up?" Needing something to do with his hands, Jensen picked up one of the bar towels and ran it over the damp wooden surface.

Hands in the pockets of his slacks, Jared took a deep breath. His suit was dark blue, one of Jensen's favorite colors. There was bruising all down the side of his face below where the bandage was stark white on his face. "I wanted to talk to you, Jensen."

"Well, here I am," Jensen answered. He tossed the towel down again and leaned on the bar. "You look like you went a few rounds in the ring."

"It looks worse than it feels."

"That's good, 'cause…" Jensen winced and pressed his lips together. The truth was that Jared looked better than Jensen had expected. Of course, the bandage was covering the worst of it. "Anyway, what's up?"

"We need to talk," Jared said firmly.

Ah, yes. Jensen had expected some sort of blowback from their encounter the night before; he just hadn't expected it quite so soon. "What do we need to talk about?"

Glancing from side to side as though he was making sure no one was listening, Jared leaned closer. "It's dangerous being around me, being anywhere _near_ me for that matter," Jared began. "Jeff does his best, but he's only human and in this line of… work things can't always be controlled."

Jensen hadn't expected Jared to use _safety_ as an excuse – a barrier thrown up between them. "I get it."

"I don't think you do, Jensen. I've been in this life for _so_ long that I can't remember what it was like before. There are days when I feel like I'm going completely crazy. It feels more like an elaborate trap than a business sometimes."

Jensen frowned and closed his eyes for a few moments before holding up a hand to stop Jared. "Look, I really don't need you to tell me all of his. I _get_ it. You're doing everything you possibly can to point out how terrible you are and how everything around you dangerous. Spare me the detailed lecture. I'm a quick study."

Even for Jensen, there was a line he wouldn't cross. Yeah, he was drawn to Jared. He was about as certain as he could be that they would be great together. But, he wasn't going to beat his head against a brick wall.

"No," Jared said firmly. He looked a little startled by the vehemence of his own response and took in a slow, deep breath. "You need to listen to me."

Something inside Jensen's mind finally reached a limit he hadn't even known was there. "Enough, Jared. I don't understand why I need to know this."

Jared stood and leaned forward over the bar. "Because I want you close to me."

The exclamation was so loud that Cindy and Danneel froze at the other end of the bar.

Eyes wide with disbelief, Jensen looked over at Danneel and held up his hand for her to stay where she was.

When he turned back to Jared, he was greeted by a very serious expression on his boss' face.

Jensen's mind was spinning out of control. He had no idea what the hell Jared meant. There were certainly things he hoped the statement meant but it was all a little insane.

The man standing in front of Jensen wasn't one for bold, romantic gestures. Hell, he wasn't even the kind of man who really said much at all. "Jared, what are you saying?"

Jared dragged a hand down his face and leaned heavily on the bar. "I _want_ you… in my life."

It felt like a little electric shock went off in Jensen's heart. All he could manage to do for a few moments was stare at Jared. He was waiting for something to make sense, for puzzle piece to fall into place.

Jared looked down at the bar where his outstretched fingers were only inches away from Jensen's. "You. I. Jensen. I want you."

Jensen wasn't sure if his heart was going to continue beating. He mentally prepared himself for it to just flop to a stop in his chest. At the same moment he felt like he was running out of oxygen, he felt Jared's fingers slide over his. His skin was a little rough, his hand warm and his palms a little damp. He felt very… real.

It took a few moments for Jensen to get his mouth to work properly. "Jared, I'm not some sort of… I don't want to be _collected_. I don't. I don't think I understand."

Jared slid both of his hands forward until he was able to grasp Jensen's hands tightly. "What do you want?"

For some reason, that was a question that Jensen could answer easily. "I want a _real_ relationship."

"A real relationship," Jared echoed.

"Sorry. It's what I want." Jensen turned his hands over, so their palms were together. He would never shake the feeling that Jared needed him but as his thumbs moved over Jared's skin, he knew it would have to be what he wanted.

"Go out to dinner with me," Jared said.

"What?"

"Dinner. Eating. I'll have Gil pick you up tomorrow at seven," Jared said.

"Will Jeff be there?" It was an odd question, but it was what popped into his mind.

"No. I think I can survive a date with you without protection," Jared said with a smirk on his face.

Jensen was just standing there, holding Jared's hands in his, staring and wondering what the hell was going to happen.

"Well?" Jared asked. The smile on his face wavered slightly.

Nodding, Jensen blinked a few times as he continued to stare. "Yes. Yeah, definitely."

Looking a little relieved, Jared nodded and released Jensen's hands slowly as he slipped back. "Tomorrow night then."

Jensen stared as Jared turned and strode to the back door and disappeared through it.

Before he even had a chance to recover, Danneel was on one side of him and Cindy skidded to a halt on the other.

"What just happened?" Danneel almost squeaked.

A few more seconds to savor the moment would have been nice but, Jensen was familiar with Danneel's _need to know._

"Are you in trouble again?" Cindy asked as she pinched Jensen's cheek.

Danneel scoffed. "Did that _look_ like he was in trouble?"

"I don't know," Cindy answered. “Jared's hard to read.”

"He asked me out," Jensen said.

Danneel, literally, bounced around in a circle and Cindy slapped a hand over her open mouth.

"A real honest to goodness date?" Danneel asked.

There were butterflies beginning to appear in Jensen's stomach. "Dinner. Tomorrow night. I said I wanted a real relationship."

"I'm _so_ jealous," Cindy said immediately.

Danneel leaned across in front of Jensen so she could see Cindy. "I didn't know you had a thing for Jared."

"God, no," Cindy answered. "He's good looking but I'm a Jensen girl. I wish he was straight."

"Honey," Danneel said through her laughter. "With some men, I might think there was a chance, but not the way Jared and Jensen look at each other."

"I'm _right_ here," Jensen felt the need to point out.

Danneel giggled and hopped up onto the bar. "Details."

"There aren't any more details," Jensen answered. "He explained what it was like in his life. And, he asked me out for dinner." It was all beginning to sink in and Jensen found it a little difficult to swallow.

"Where are you going?" Cindy asked with a delighted look on her face.

"Huh?" Jensen was trying to figure out why he suddenly felt nervous.

"Where are you going to dinner?" Cindy asked again. "Somewhere fancy, I bet."

Danneel reached out and poked Jensen in the center of his chest. "I bet he'll take you to the Ivy. He loves that place."

"Do I have to dress up?" Jensen was starting to think that he'd gotten in over his head.

"It doesn't matter. Just wear something you like. Jared owns the place. You wouldn't be asked to leave if you showed up wearing a garbage bag," Danneel said with a smirk on her face.

"Well, even I can do better than that," Jensen muttered.

"I'll be right there!" Cindy called out to a customer. "I'm happy for you, Jensen."

Cindy kissed him on the cheek then headed off to the other end of the bar where there were a few customers waiting.

"You alright, darlin'?" Danneel was frowning when Jensen looked over at her.

"I'm fine," Jensen said. "A little surprised, I think." It might have always been his goal to get Jared, but he hadn't really expected it to happen after a few of the things Jared had said.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Danneel grabbed Jensen's hand and held it between both of hers.

"No, of course not," Jensen answered. He wasn't. He absolutely wasn't having second thoughts. He was just in the middle of realizing what he'd gotten himself into. Jared was a very complicated man.

"You know you can tell me anything, right, Jensen?" The smile on Danneel's face was warm and she squeezed Jensen's hands a little harder.

Jensen sighed and returned the smile. "Yeah. And I love you for it. Honestly, I'm just a little surprised. That's all."

"Well, I guess Jared is a little bit more unpredictable than we both thought," Danneel said.

"Mhmm." Jensen had a feeling that would be a good thing.

-=-=-=-

It took Jensen almost the entire twenty-minute drive to the Ivy to take in how amazing Jared looked. He was wearing perfectly fitted, black jeans and a dark red V-neck sweater. He had on black ankle boots and a waist length leather jacket.

Jensen felt a little underdressed in his best jeans and a new t-shirt that Danneel had left, wrapped in purple tissue on the end of his bed. It was a dusty-light blue color with buttons at the neck. It was one of the softest shirts Jensen had ever felt and it fit him really well,

Jensen would have been more self-conscious about the way he was dressed if it weren't for the fact that Jared had stared at him, speechless for a few moments when Jensen had joined him in the back of the car.

Gil pulled up in front of the Ivy and Jensen looked out at the restaurant. The building was beautiful. Half of it looked like an old, brick manor house. The newer part of the building had floor to ceiling windows and the beautifully set tables were all full.

Jensen decided that being spontaneous seemed to be working for them. He turned to face Jared and smiled. "You said you trusted me, right?"

Bemused expression on his face, Jared nodded. "I did say that. Am I about to regret it?"

Chuckling, Jensen leaned forward over the seat and whispered in Gil's ear. "Take us to Pier 2200."

Gil glanced over his shoulder in Jared's direction.

"Do whatever Jensen says, Gil." Jared glanced at Jensen with a smile as he continued. "As long as we don't cross state lines."

"Boring," Jensen said. But, he was already feeling the buzz of Jared's trust fizzling in his bones. Things had changed, and Jensen liked it. "You know what, Jared?"

"What?" Jared leaned back, legs stretched out in front of him.

"I think getting shot in the head was good for you," Jensen said thoughtfully.

"I'm not going to do it again, so you better get used to this version of me," Jared said as he peered out of his window.

"I can live with that."

They chatted with Gil for the forty-minute drive to the Pier. Jensen could tell Jared was fond of his driver. They were obviously friends and Jensen enjoyed listening to Gil talk about his wife and their foray into ballroom dancing.

It gave him a chance to study Jared a little. He looked more relaxed than normal. To begin with, he wasn't armed. Jensen had never mentioned his dislike of firearms, but he was sure that was for his benefit. He was also sure that Gil _was_ armed.

Jeff might not be riding shotgun on their date, but Jensen knew Jared wasn't the kind of man to go far without protection.

Jared's dimples appeared each time Gil made him smile and it took years off his face. Leaned back, relaxed and smiling, Jared _almost_ looked as though he was just a regular guy out on a date. _Almost_.

When they finally reached the Pier, Jensen gave Gil directions to a place under the supports. It was deserted. Gil looked very alert as he scanned the area.

Jared, on the other hands, seemed intrigued.

"Alright," Jensen said. "Let's go. Gil, Jared will text you when we're ready to go home but you may want to go for a coffee or something."

-=-=-=-

Jensen climbed out of the car to the pleasant sound of Gil chuckling. He closed his door to walk around the car and grabbed Jared's hand. "This way."

He tugged Jared into the relative darkness beneath the beginning part of the boardwalk, past a huge _no trespassing_ sign.

"I don't think we're allowed to be here," Jared said as he threaded his fingers through Jensen's.

"Really?" Jensen couldn't help snorting. " _You_ are going to give _me_ grief about breaking rules?"

Shrugging again, Jared smiled. "Just making conversation."

They stepped through a gap in a tall chain-link fence then Jensen held on to one of the fence posts to swing out over the water momentarily before stepping back onto the path on the other side of the locked gate.

After giving Jensen a nod, Jared followed suit. They headed up the old wooden stairs that wound around one of the pier supports and Jensen grinned as he heard music from the carousel. "Hear that?"

Jared nodded as he looked up at Jensen. He was standing a few steps down and had been looking out over the water. There was enough early evening light left to see the waves that were lapping against the shore down below them.

"Don't we have to pay to get on the pier?" Jared asked, looking as though he already knew the answer.

"You don't if you're with me," Jensen said proudly. "One of the first things I learned when I moved here was how to get on the pier without paying."

"You know, money doesn't ever have to be a problem for you again, Jensen," Jared said as he stepped up until they were face to face.

Jensen smacked down the feeling of suspicion that tried to overtake him. He was sure Jared didn't mean it the way it sounded. "We'll talk about that some other time, Jared. Tonight? It's not about having money. It's about having fun."

Jared tilted his head in agreement and slipped his hand under Jensen's jacket, along his waist.

The thin material of Jensen's t-shirt didn't block the heat from Jared's palm and his breath quickened slightly. He smiled, taking in Jared's ruddy cheeks and the way his hair was being tousled by the wind. "Come on."

When they finally emerged at the top of the stairs they were behind the buildings that ran the length of the pier. The glow from all the pier lights hung about them in the sea mist like a luminescent mist. It was one of Jensen's favorite places.

"It's beautiful," Jared said. The wind was whipping at his jacket, but he hadn't even bothered to zip it up.

Jensen, on the other hand, was shivering. He laughed when Jared tucked him under his arm and pulled him in close to his body.

"You're like a heater,” Jensen murmured against Jared's chin. Jared was only a few inches taller than Jensen, but it meant they were a perfect fit.

"Thanks," Jensen said into the stubble on Jared's cheek.

"For what?" Jared was staring out at the ocean, no doubt watching the way the lights were dancing on the waves.

"For coming with me. Leaving your fortress."

"Is that really how you see it?" Jared asked as he continued to stare out over the railing.

"I don't know." Jensen slid his palm up onto the small of Jared's back. "You seem to be in the line of fire a lot, and at the same time, you have all kinds of defenses up all the time."

Looking away from the ocean, Jensen closed his eyes and breathed in the clean skin scent of Jared's cheek. He drew in a slow deep breath loving the way it made him feel a little off balance.

Shifting his weight, Jared moved his arm, so it was resting on Jensen's shoulder. He was quiet for a while, then he leaned back slightly so he could look at Jensen. "I don't want to talk about all that."

Stiffening slightly, Jensen felt as though he was being shut out again. Jared must have sensed it because his fingers lifted to Jensen's cheek.

"Hey," he said. "Just for tonight." The expression on his face was warm, relaxed and he smiled. "I swear."

The tension in Jensen's body dissipated quickly and he stepped out from under Jared's arm. "Hungry?"

"Starving."

-=-=-=-

Less than an hour later, Jared and Jensen were sitting on one of the old lifeboats that hung from the end of the pier.

Jensen was sitting on one of the benches with his legs outstretched in front of him. He was leaning back, his head resting on a knee-high, blue teddy bear. He had a piece of newspaper lined with parchment paper on his lap. It had contained a cheeseburger before he had devoured it. He was still picking at some of the French fries that were in a container on Jared's thigh.

"I think that was the best burger I've ever had," Jared said. He dragged a paper napkin back and forth over his mouth then tossed it into the bag on the bottom of the boat. He let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back. He had one leg stretched out along the bench, the other bent at the knee.

For the first time since they had met, Jared looked completely at ease.

"Told you," Jensen mumbled as he munched on another fry. He rubbed his hand over his belly. "I'm stuffed. I have a Buddha's belly."

Jared laughed. "You what?"

Grinning, Jensen continued to rub his stomach. "I ate too much. I look pregnant."

When Jared threw his head back and laughed, Jensen couldn't help staring. Not only did the genuine joy in it make Jensen want to join in but he realized at that moment that he'd never heard Jared laugh before.

He liked it.

"All the comic gold I give you all the time and it's my Buddha belly that gets you," Jensen said delightedly. It gave him a real sense of accomplishment to have made Jared laugh.

After a while, Jared's laughter died down and he sighed happily. After a few long, deep breaths, he looked over at Jensen. "I can't believe you used to sleep in this thing."

"Warm jacket, clear summer night. It's beautiful," Jensen answered. When he'd been without a permanent address, the summer nights had been his favorite. There was nothing bad about a night looking up at the stars.

"I think I prefer my king size bed," Jared murmured as he shifted a little on the bench.

"King size beds have their advantages," Jensen said as he smirked.

Nodding, still smiling and looking a little… shy, Jared dropped his gaze to the fries. "You want anymore?"

"Fuck no," Jensen said quickly.

Jared laughed again and the warmth that had been settled in Jensen's chest for the better part of the evening began to slide all through his body.

Jared dropped the fries in the bag, swung his legs down and tugged on one of the Teddy bear's legs. "So, you had enough sugar to kill a horse, we did many illegal things all at your discretion, I won you a bear and you ate half your weight in meat. How did we do for a first date?"

Jensen turned his head slightly on the soft teddy bear. His lips were almost touching Jared's fingers. "You won the bear playing a shooting game, that's pretty much cheating."

"The sight on the toy gun was off. They try to fix the games, so people don't win. I think that makes it even. And, you said it was a cute bear." Jared's fingertips trailed along Jensen's cheek then down to the corner of his mouth.

"Fred."

"Excuse me?"

"The bear's name is Fred and I said he is adorable," Jensen answered. All he could really think about was the way Jared's warm fingertips felt on his cold skin.

"You named the bear Fred?" The amused glint was back in Jared's eyes.

"You got a problem with that?"

Jared curved his palm over Jensen's cheek and smiled. "No, Sir. You can call him whatever you like."

"Good," Jensen said as he leaned into the warm palm. "And apart from cheating at the shooting game? I'd say you're a pretty awesome date."

The pleased smile on Jared's face made Jensen's heart flop around a little like a fish out of water. Or, maybe it was the way Jared's gaze kept moving to his lips.

"You're cold," Jared said. "Let's get off the Titanic and go home. I assume we can still get off the pier now everyone else has gone home."

"Of course," Jensen said as he sat up. "I'm magic."

"On that, we agree," Jared said as he picked up Fred and handed him to Jensen.

-=-=-=-

When Jared and Jensen had climbed into the back of the car, Fred in tow, Gil had said nothing. About halfway to the club, Jensen _did_ catch Gil with a smile on his face though.

Jared was quiet on the drive, but the silence was comfortable. Their hands were clasped together, fingers woven, lying on the bear's head. Maybe there was no point in saying anything else because the night had been damned close to perfect. Jensen hadn't had a lot of dates. For the most part, he had skipped over the dating part. On the streets he hadn't done a lot of anything, in fact, he tried to avoid it.

Now, here he was, on a date with a powerful man who worked on the wrong side of the law. A powerful man who seemed more than a little lost.

Only Jensen believed more than ever that he was the one who was meant to find Jared.

When they pulled up at the back door of the club, Jared opened his door first. "I'll just see Jensen in safely, then I'll be heading home, Gil."

"No problem," Gil answered as he turned the engine off.

It was a little disappointing that Jared wasn't going to be staying. But then, why would he? He had a _king size bed_ at home and that was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Jensen was willing to bet that Jared's home was as impressive as _he_ was.

"Jensen? You sleeping in the car?" Gil asked.

"What? No." Jensen laughed and grabbed the bear by the ear. "Night, Gil."

As Jensen climbed out of the car, Jared was punching the code into the lock panel beside the back door. He pushed it open and held it for Jensen then followed him inside.

The club was dark and quiet. Jensen had forgotten how long they'd been out.

Jared caught Jensen's arm and swung him in against his chest.

The air rushed out of Jensen's lungs and he grabbed Jared's bicep to steady himself. _Not_ that there was the slightest chance of Jensen falling with the grip Jared had on him.

Jared pressed Jensen's hand to his chest. "You dropped Fred."

"He'll understand," Jensen answered. Once more, Jensen found himself realize how much of a presence Jared was. Almost as though he couldn't quite believe Jared was real, Jensen ran his hands over Jared's broad shoulders.

"Thank you," Jared whispered. His lips were hovering near Jensen's, his eyes closed, wisps of hair outlining his face.

"My pleasure," Jensen said. He pushed up ever-so-slightly onto his toes and slanted his mouth over Jared's.

Heat flared to life in Jensen's body and he pressed closer to Jared.

A low moan rattled free of Jared's chest and one of his hands slid down Jensen's back. His long fingers had slipped under Jensen's jacket and were splayed wide, possessive against his back.

Jared's mouth opened under the gentle pressure from Jensen's tongue. The heat of that mouth was almost enough to make Jensen's legs give way beneath him.

He could feel Jared trembling, his arm still wrapped tightly around Jensen's body.

Their mouths slid together, gentled, then pulled apart. They gasped for air, pressed flush against each other and Jensen groaned as he pressed his trapped cock against the sharp cut of Jared's hip.

When they finally pulled away from each other enough to breathe properly, Jensen smiled. His eyes felt heavy, his cheeks were burning, and he had managed to slip a hand into Jared's hair. It had felt _just_ as good as he'd imagined having a grip on that soft hair.

"I’d better go," Jared said. He groaned and let his hands fall to Jensen's hips to set him back slightly.

"Do you have to?" Jensen couldn't help asking.

Nodding, Jared chuckled. He kissed the corner of Jensen's mouth, his chin, then his cheek. "I have to meet Jeff in about two hours."

"Oh man," Jensen said. "I'm sorry. We could have come back earlier, you know."

But Jared was already shaking his head. "No way. This was great. I just won't bother going to sleep."

Jensen reached up and combed Jared's hair back with his fingers. "You be careful tomorrow, Jared. I don't care what you're doing."

Nodding again, Jared stepped back slowly until his hands finally left Jensen's body. He straightened his shirt and sighed. There was a warm smile on his face, the dimples were punched into his cheeks. "Night, Jensen. Don't forget Fred."

"I won't." Jensen bent down to pick up Fred and used it as an opportunity to adjust the front of his jeans. "Night."

Jared slipped out the back door and Jensen heard Jared stand there until the automatic lock caught. Then there were footsteps, the sound of a car door and the engine moving away.

Tucking Fred under his arm, Jensen turned slowly and headed towards his room. 

Best. Night. Ever.

-=-=-=-

A lot of the day had passed by before Jensen woke up. By the time he'd showered and dressed it was time for his shift behind the bar to begin.

Jensen grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen and headed out to the club.

It was a hot night and the club wasn't busy yet. Jensen swung by the back door to make sure the AC was on. It was, and he jogged across the dance floor and hopped up on a bar stool across from Danneel. She was working on the liquor order, so Jensen didn't interrupt her.

Danneel was pulling off a very _80’s Madonna_ look. She had a white, crop shirt on underneath coveralls and a vivid, red scarf tied around her head, holding her hair up in a messy bun. She was dancing as she moved back and forth in front of the wall of bottles.

Jensen laughed as Danneel swung her hips back and forth. She grinned as she set her clipboard down. "How are you? You slept in."

"We were out late," Jensen answered as he tried his best to look coy. The problem was that he was dying to tell Danneel how well it all went.

"And, how did the date go?" Danneel leaned her hip against the bar and stared at Jensen.

"Didn't Jared tell you?" A little disappointed, Jensen folded his arms across his chest. He'd really hoped that Jared would have felt the need to tell Danneel what a great time he'd had. Apparently, Jared had been able to contain his enthusiasm.

"I haven't seen Jared or Jeff today. Gil told me they took off on their own first thing this morning. Something they had to take care of." Danneel's smile faded slightly and she looked down at her hands for a few moments.

"Everything okay?" The sweet taste of success from their date soured slightly when Jensen found himself wondering what Jared and Jeff might have been dealing with. It couldn't be something good if they had gone without Gil. That usually meant something serious.

Danneel shrugged. "I'm sure everything's fine. No one tells me anything." 

Slight furrows appeared in Danneel's brow and she shook her head dismissively. "Anyway. Your date?"

"Yeah," Jensen answered. "I took him to the pier. We had a burger, cotton candy and he won me a bear by-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. He what?" Danneel slapped her hand down on the bar and laughed.

Smiling, Jensen nodded. "It was a shooting game so that was practically cheating."

"Right?" Danneel laughed again.

"Still _very_ adorable though. I mean, a bear." Jensen winked.

"Out of character, I'll give you."

Jensen slid off the stool and stretched his arms up above his head. "I better get started."

"Yeah, you better or I'll be forced to kick your ass."

"Right," Jensen said. There was nothing in the slightest bit intimidating about Danneel in her baggy coveralls.

-=-=-=-

Wiping the sweat from his face with the bottom of his t-shirt, Jensen sighed. He'd been slammed since last call and then it had taken them ages to clean everything up. Jensen was ready to have a shower and get some sleep.

Just as he was pouring himself a cold glass of coke, the back door opened, and Jared and Jeff came in. As Jensen sipped his drink, he watched the two of them as they seemed to be arguing.

"Looks like they had a rough go of it," Danneel said as she appeared at Jensen's side with her own drink.

"Mhmm." Jensen picked up a clean bar towel and wiped it over his face. When he set the towel aside, it was just in time to see Jeff walking away as Jared let his fist fly into the back wall.

" _That_ can't be good," Danneel said.

As Jared began striding across the empty club towards them, Danneel grabbed another towel and set some ice in the middle of it before folding it.

When Jared stopped across the bar from them, Danneel slid the towel full of ice towards him.

Jared picked up the towel and pressed it to his knuckles. "Thanks, Dani."

"You're welcome," Danneel answered. "Everything okay?"

Jared didn't answer. He just looked over at Jensen. "Get your jacket. Come home with me tonight."

"Jared Padalecki!" Danneel said fiercely as she stepped in front of Jensen protectively.

Jared looked a little peaked. His hair was tousled, his brow glistening with sweat and his jaw was clenched tightly.

Jensen curled his fingers over Danneel's shoulder and squeezed gently. "It's okay, Danneel."

Tilting his head to the side slightly, Jared rolled his shoulders. "I need… I'd like some company."

Just like that, Jensen felt the tension dissipate from Danneel's shoulders. "Well, okay then."

Finally, Jared pulled his gaze away from Jensen and stared at Danneel in disbelief. She just smiled innocently.

"I'll get my jacket," Jensen said.

It only took him a few minutes to get to his room and grab Jared's hoodie then head back out. When he got back to the bar, Danneel was wiping Jared's hand clean while she sat on the bar. Obviously, he'd cut it up a bit.

Jared looked up as soon as he heard Jensen's footsteps. He looked relieved and Jensen wondered if he had hadn't been sure that he was coming back. "I'm ready."

Jared reached into his back pocket with his free hand, pulled out his keys and tossed them to Jensen. "You drive."

-=-=-=-

The penthouse Jared lived in was impressive. As soon as Jensen walked through the door, he headed over to the floor to ceiling windows. The view was awesome. It looked as though the lights went on for miles in all directions. They probably did, but Jensen had never been anywhere he could see it.

"I stare at this view a lot," Jared said in Jensen's ear.

Jensen could see Jared's reflection in the window. He's shed his suit jacket and his tie. Their eyes connected in the reflection and Jensen smiled. "Of course, you do."

"Why do you say that?"

"The King in his Fortress.”

"Right," Jared said. He stepped closer, fingers slipping under Jensen's jacket and along his waist.

Tilting his head slightly, Jensen took a deep breath. "Well, it's safe up here, right? You can see your kingdom. Nothing to fear."

Jared's other hand slid under Jensen's arm and he pulled him back against his chest. As his arms cinched around Jensen, his stubble grazed Jensen's ear. "There are times… when I'm terrified."

"You don't have to be when I'm here," Jensen said easily. He meant it. Maybe, he was in Jared's castle, high above the city, but Jared _wanted_ him there. Maybe Jensen could be Jared's safe place and that would be enough for a while.

-=-=-=-

Jared was sitting on the end of his bed. It really _was_ as huge as Jensen had expected. He was looking forward to laying spread out across it.

Jared's white shirt was unbuttoned, his boots unlaced, and his shoulders were slumped. He looked exhausted, but he was clearly more relaxed there at home than anywhere else Jensen had ever seen him.

"You need anything?" Jensen asked.

"No. I'm fine," Jared said softly. His voice was strained, tired.

Jensen padded over to the end of the bed and stepped in between Jared's legs. He hooked a finger under Jared's chin and made him look up. "Everything is fine for tonight."

The expression on Jared's face softened and he nodded.

"I'm staying tonight." The words sent a spark of excitement skittering through Jensen.

"I hoped you would."

"I made up my mind as soon as I saw you tonight," Jensen answered.

"I would have-"

"I wasn't leaving it up to you. Can you live with that?" Jensen let his thumb smooth along Jared's bottom lip.

All Jared did was nod and part his lips. He caught Jensen's thumb between them and dragged his teeth along the nail.

Just that simple offering and Jensen could _feel_ the way he'd been so right about the two of them. They belonged together; maybe that had been the place that Jensen had belonged all along.

Jensen pulled his hand away and reached down to slide Jared's shirt off his shoulders. He loved the way the man's bare skin looked in the moonlight that was flooding the room. It was an invitation to trail his fingers down along Jared's chest, over his dark pink nipples then along the line of his ribs. "Get undressed."

Jensen didn't wait to see if Jared moved; he knew he would. He walked over to the chair and shrugged out of his jacket. His t-shirt he slipped off over his head and tossed down then he grabbed his belt buckle and smirked to himself as he left it alone. He sat briefly to pull his socks off and then looked up at Jared.

Jared was standing near the dresser and slipping his jersey boxers off. It didn't surprise Jensen that his breath caught in his chest. Miles of beautiful moonlit skin and almost every inch of his body was nothing but strength. There was dark hair on his chest that became a dusting over his belly and lower. His cock was long, thick and well-matched to his body. Jensen gulped as he stood up.

From that moment on, that body was going to belong to him. Jared might be the boss outside his home, but Jensen was going to take _all_ the responsibility and worry away from Jared whenever he could.

It was obvious that Jared wasn't self-conscious at all, the way he stood there, weight on his back foot. He ran a hand through his hair then rubbed it across his chest. He just stared at Jensen, eyes moving slowly down his body. There was a type of defiance in his stance – as though he was _daring_ Jensen to do something 

_That_ wasn't going to be a problem.

"Get on the bed," Jensen said firmly. He could definitely get used to ordering Jared around.

"You have your jeans on."

"I do."

"That seems unfair," Jared said as he sat down.

"Just relax, Jared." Already on edge. _That_ was good.

Jared made a dismissive noise, but he leaned back slightly and peered up at Jensen.

Jensen took a few steps closer, pushing Jared's knees aside with his own. He watched Jared's eyes darken, watched tiny beads of perspiration appear on his forehead. He watched as Jared's cock swelled.

"Unbuckle my belt, Jared."

Without the slightest hesitancy, Jared reached up and pulled Jensen's belt free of his buckle. His fingers touched Jensen's belly gently, almost hesitantly. Jared licked his lips.

"Now, take my jeans off."

Jared's dark gaze snapped up to Jensen's and his fingers moved down to slide the button free. He didn't look away as he dragged the zipper down then slipped his hands into the parted material to push it down over Jensen's hips.

Lips parted slightly, Jared took a slow, deep breath. He moved his hand back up to Jensen's jersey boxers and pushed his thumb under the waistband. And then he did the most remarkable thing. He froze there, gaze trailing longingly up to Jensen's body until their eyes met. His eyebrows lifted slightly as he silently requested permission.

 _That_ was how it would be, and Jensen felt molten heat flowing through him. A smirk caught hold of one side of his mouth, and he nodded.

The way Jared's fingers moved, slowly, deliberately, made Jensen think he wanted to savor every moment. He reached up and slid his right hand over Jared's hair, fingers combing through the silky strands.

Jared pulled the waistband out away from Jensen's body and dragged the material down slowly.

Truth be told, Jensen had been half-hard ever since they had arrived at the condo. It wasn't like he had much control over where his mind went. He'd wanted Jared from the very first moment he saw him.

Now, Jared was practically devouring his body as he did exactly what Jensen told him to do.

When he finally stepped out of all his clothing, Jensen stood there and let Jared _wait_.

Licking his lips again, Jared rested his hands on the bed beside his hips. His gaze traveled down Jensen's body lingered at his swelling cock then seemed to follow the cut of his hip.

Unwilling to wait any longer, Jensen tilted his head in a brief nod, urging Jared to move further up the bed. He stood there, watching the muscles in Jared's arms flex as he slid up the bed and rested his head on the pile of pillows. He reached up and stretched his arms out before hooking his fingers over one of the bars on the headboard.

"Look at you," Jensen said as he paced up the side of the bed. He knelt on the side and moved into the center, stopping at Jared's hip.

Everything inside him felt alive and like it was vibrating with energy. Just looking at Jared was making his pulse race. His mind was racing, with thoughts of what he could do, how it would feel, and the way Jared would sound.

Jensen lingered there, right on the edge of it all because he knew once he crossed the line he'd never get the moment back.

"You alright?" Jared's lips curled into a slight smile. "Not changin' your mind, are you?"

"God, no," Jensen said quickly. He reached out and gripped Jared’s hip then urged him to roll over. “On your stomach.”

The next breath that Jared sucked in was accompanied by his entire _fucking_ body trembling. It was a scene right out of Jensen's fantasies. For the time it took Jared to take a few shallow breaths, he looked as though he might protest. Then, he rolled slowly, head first, his body following like a ripple of muscle and flesh.

Jensen straddled Jared’s thighs and pressed his palms against Jared's hips, thumbs digging into the gorgeous muscle and flesh of his ass. He stared as Jared's body twitched.

Jensen leaned down and pressed his lips to the middle of Jared's back. He could feel the rock hard, hot flesh of Jared's body pressed up against his. He rocked his hips forward to slide his own aching hard-on along the crack of Jared’s ass.

The heat made Jensen's breath hitch and he panted against Jared's back for a few moments.

A soft moan escaped Jared's lips, and his body lifted off the bed briefly. "Jensen…"

There was a hidden question in Jared's voice. It was all up to Jensen.

Jensen sat back up. "Stay _right_ there."

Jared's turned his head to the side, the flush on his cheek giving the overall impression that he was struggling to remain still.

All Jensen could do was watch all that flesh below him. Every time Jared breathed, his muscles brought all that flesh to life.

Letting himself settle comfortably back down onto Jared's solid thighs, Jensen dragged his fingers down Jared's spine. He watched as Jared's flesh moved as he twisted slightly. Such gentle touches and such intense reactions.

"Lube," Jensen said.

Jared pushed up onto his elbows and looked back over his shoulder at Jensen. He blinked a couple of times, then pointed towards the drawer in the nightstand.

For a second or two, Jensen had worried Jared was going to begin asking questions about what they were going to do, but there were none. Jared was trusting him, doing as Jensen had asked and was letting him lead the way.

When he reached over to pull the drawer open, Jensen took a steadying breath. He saw condoms into the drawer and tapped his index finger against one a couple of times. But, he left them there. There were some questions that he didn't need answers to.

He settled himself back on Jared's legs and found that he had to concentrate to make sure he didn't just rub against all that firm skin beneath him. He was already pretty anxious for release and they'd only just begun. He didn't want to wait anymore.

The lid came off the bottle of lube easily and Jensen slicked up his fingers. He reached down and ran the side of his hand along the crack of Jared’s ass.

There was a moment when Jared's entire body tensed, and Jensen trailed his free hand over Jared’s hair and gently down his neck.

No, they'd had no discussion about sex, no preferences, no boundaries but Jensen wasn't going to ask, and he wasn't going to let Jared think about it. He knew what he wanted at that moment and he also knew that it would be good for Jared. 

"Everything's okay," Jensen said quietly.

If Jared believed it or didn't, Jensen didn't really know. But, the slight smile on his face was beautiful.

Jared took a deep breath as his body relaxed and he seemed to sink further down into the mattress.

"No thinking," a touch of his finger to Jared's lips. "No worrying," a subtle shift of his hips. "No decisions," Jensen said as he eased his slick fingers between the cheeks of Jared’s ass.

He could feel the furled flesh of Jared’s hole quiver when the pads of his fingers slid past it.

Eyes closed, Jared sighed and licked his lips as his fingers clawed at the quilt beneath him. He dug his fingers in, clenching them into tight fists.

Jensen continued to stretch Jared open, fingers working against the press of his tight ring of muscle. He loved the heat of Jared’s body against his balls. The flesh was scorching, twitching against Jensen, making it difficult for him to keep the pace slow and steady.

"Jen-"

Jensen leaned forward to press his finger to Jared's lips and shook his head.

There was a slight frown on Jared's forehead and Jensen hated to see it here. He poured himself over Jared’s body and pressed his lips to the shell of Jared’s ear. Jared’s body strained beneath him, the muscles in his back tightening and relaxing. 

Jensen reached down between their bodies and found the swollen flesh of his cock so he could run the heat of it along Jared’s ass.

He felt Jared's shoulders tense slightly then he parted his legs. Jensen braced himself over his partner’s body, mouthing at hot flesh as Jared moaned.

With his free hand tangled in Jared's air, Jensen tipped his hips back slightly and felt the head of his cock catch Jared’s rim. He groaned into Jared's hair then dragged his lips down along Jared’s shoulder wetly.

Jared’s knuckled whitened against the dark quilt. He writhed slightly, spine arching to present his ass higher, closer, teasing Jensen. The thought of the man beneath him giving himself over to Jensen’s desires made his cock throb almost painfully.

The moonlight was still pouring in the huge windows and Jensen reluctantly pulled his lips from Jared's flesh so that he could look down at the golden flesh below him. His gaze flicked to Jared’s face and there was a blissful kind of peace settling on the usually tense features.

There were some moments Jensen _really_ wanted to see.

As Jensen reared up back, he pushed forward into Jared’s ass. Jared sank his teeth into his bottom lip and moaned low in his chest. The pink flush that was moving over Jared's cheek deepened in color. One of his hands slid down the quilt to find Jensen’s leg. It was a gentle touch that sent a shiver of delight rippling down Jensen's body.

[](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/twoboys2love/66949000/32145/32145_original.jpg)

Sucking in a quick breath of air, Jensen planted his hands above Jared’s shoulders to brace himself and slid his cock further into his body.

It was like being set afire and Jensen held his breath as his heart pounded against his rib cage.  
When he finally managed to focus his eyes, he could see sheer bliss on Jared's face. His dark lashes rested on flushed cheeks. His lips were parted in a small, silent _o_. A sheen of sweat covered his skin and Jensen leaned down to taste it.

Blinking his eyes open, Jared twisted to gaze up at Jensen, eyes dark with desire. Fingers spread wide on the quilt, Jared pushed up and back slowly, moving Jensen with him. Once he was on his knees, he threw his head back and moaned.

Jensen tried to slow his breathing as he got comfortable on his knees. He tilted his hips a little, exploring the way it felt to be buried in Jared’s heat, the way that waves of desire were pulsing through his body. It seemed as though each beat of his heart was pumping pleasure through him. His limbs felt light, his body anchored to Jared by their touches.

It was the first time in Jensen's life that he'd felt _that_ connected to someone.

He smiled slightly, catching his bottom lip under his teeth. He leaned forward slowly, loving the slide of his cock deeper into Jared.

Using his height to its full advantage, Jared walked his hands up the headboard until he was also kneeling. He reached back with one hand and grabbed Jensen’s arm, pulling it forward to wrap around his chest as their hips began to rock together. 

Everything in Jensen wanted to assure Jared that he'd never have to be without him again if he didn’t want to. It seemed completely insane, even to Jensen but he knew he was exactly where he was meant to be. His heart had been Jared's far longer than his body. He'd learned already that some things had no explanation.

Jared let out a low moan as he shifted against Jensen's body. 

As his swollen length slid deeper once more, it sent a buzz of pleasure shuddering through Jensen. Digging his nails into Jared’s chest, Jensen panted against the nape of the man’s neck. His hips snapped forwards, thrusting his aching shaft deep into Jared’s body. The sensation was overwhelming, and Jensen couldn't help moaning. He couldn’t help the way his thrusts picked up speed.

The slick slide and tender stretching of Jared’s hole around him became everything to Jensen; a fiery pleasure that slithered through his veins.

He slid his hand down Jared’s chest, over his tightening abs and curled his fingers around his swollen cock. He was sure he could feel a throb in Jared’s shaft that matched the dull ache in his own. His balls were already tight and full aching for release as he pumped into Jared’s body.

Eyes heavy-lidded, strands of sweat-damp hair clinging to his face, Jared let his head fall back against Jensen’s shoulder. He kept one hand on Jensen's arm, the grip of his fingers gently urging Jensen closer. His other hand, huge, overheated and rough, reached up and back to tangle in Jensen’s hair.

The combination of Jared's grip and the intensity each time Jensen sank back into his lover's body was like an undercurrent sweeping Jensen away. It was pointless for him to fight it, and he didn't want to. He just wanted to be swept away in the pleasure and teasing release of it all.

It seemed like only a few heartbeats until Jensen pounded against a spot deep in Jared that made his entire body shudder. He twisted his hips, pushing moan after moan from Jared’s mouth, gliding his hand over Jared’s shaft.

Jared's hips thrust forward, spine arched, one, twice and he moaned long and rough as he threw his head forward. His entire body jerked as he came, breath catching in his chest and his nails scraping down Jensen's arm. Come pulsed from his cock spattering along Jensen’s arm and his own chest. 

Jensen cried out as the tight clench of Jared’s ass sent him over the edge. His hips snapped forward and his balls constricted a fraction of a second before he came. His cock throbbed, come pulsing deep inside Jared; the release of all that insane tension leaving him a trembling mess.

Jared made a gasp for air, fingers finally loosening their hold on Jensen’s arm. His body felt loose and pliant in Jensen’s arms.

Jensen was barely able to hold himself upright as he watched Jared fall apart in front of him. All his muscles felt weak and he found it hard to draw in every breath.

When Jared's body stopped jerking and trembling, he seemed to slide down into the softness of the bed. His fingers fell away from Jensen's body, and he collapsed down onto his side taking Jensen with him.

Jensen let out a long sigh and all that went through his head was… _mine_.

It was hot, sweaty and sticky lying there pressed against Jared’s back and Jensen couldn't have cared less.

For a while – Jensen had long since lost the sense of time – Jared just laid there. Eventually, he took a deep breath and rolled so he could fold his arms around Jensen. As he finally looked into Jensen’s eyes, he tightened his hold on and nuzzled into Jensen’s hair. 

Jensen stretched his back a little and pushed back enough that he could look at Jared. He cleared his throat to attempt to find his voice. "Tell me we can sleep for a week."

"No," Jared said in a gravelly voice.

It was typical of Jared not to allow Jensen the slightest fantasy. "A couple of days then?"

"Are you always like this after sex?" Jared smirked as he dipped his chin down to get a better look at Jensen's face.

"Like what?" Jensen groaned as he lifted his heavy head and peered into Jared's beautiful eyes.

"Talkative and extremely focused on sleeping." There was an adorable smile on Jared's face even though he was doing his level best to appear irritated.

"I'm talkative all the time, I just don't want this to be over."

Smile fading slightly, Jared kept his gaze locked on Jensen's. "How do you _do_ that?"

"What?" For the briefest moment, Jensen thought he had misspoken.

"Tell the truth so easily." Jared averted his gaze. "You seem to just say whatever comes into your mind."

Jensen shrugged. He'd never really thought about it that way. "Not with everyone. With people I trust. Care about."

"It's rare," Jared said quickly.

It was like Jared was disappearing behind his defenses again, one step at a time. Jensen rubbed his hand across Jared's chest slowly. "Hey."

It took too long for Jared to turn and face Jensen again, but he did.

"Let's just… be here tonight. Okay? Don't worry about things. Just you and me, okay?" It was a long shot, but he really wanted Jared to stay open and sweet, soft and _present_. Those walls really only contributed to Jared being isolated.

Jared nodded after a few moments and smiled. “Have you seen the bathroom?”

Chuckling, Jensen shook his head.

"Dual shower heads, heated tiles, a bench." His eyebrows lifted teasingly.

"Oh, I'm _so_ in," Jensen said as he chuckled weakly.

"Good," Jared murmured as he leaned down and kissed Jensen's forehead.

"Did I mention before that I can be a little demanding?" Jensen said coyly. The first night had been all about Jared but there were so many more nights for Jensen to explore _everything_ about his lover.

Jared pulled back, head tilted slightly, with a remarkably cocky expression on his face. "As a matter of fact, you didn’t. I guess I have some exploring to do."

"Jared Padalecki," Jensen said with a grin on his face. "Are you actually teasing me?" The warmth that had been present all evening just surged forward again and Jensen had to try and catch his breath.

"Maybe, I'm just giving you a hint of what's to come in the shower."

Jensen's eyes narrowed slightly, and he leaned in to kiss Jared's swollen lips hungrily.

-=-=-=-

The two men slept late into the day. For once, Jared simply sent off a text to Jeff asking him to deal with things.

They had a leisurely breakfast, which Jared cooked. There was a feast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and fried tomatoes. Jared had even squeezed some fresh orange juice.

They had coffee later in the day, stretched out side by side on the long sofa that faced the bank of windows.

Sometimes, they were silent. Sometimes, Jensen would try to make Jared laugh. Sometimes, they would stare into each other's eyes until one of them caved into the _pull_ of the other and pressed their lips together.

The day went by _far_ too quickly for Jensen's liking and as the sun progressed through the sky, Jared grew more restless. He began to check his phone, he frowned a little more often.

Jensen had known they couldn't stay there forever, but he found himself to be a little disappointed.

Once the darkness settled down on the cityscape, Jared said he would take Jensen back to the club to work.

"If you still want to," Jared added.

"Want to what?" Puzzled for a little while, it took Jensen a moment to see what Jared was asking. "I like working, Jared. I enjoy spending time with Danneel and Cindy."

Jared paused with his dress shirt half-buttoned. "People will find out about us. It won't be safe."

Everything always seemed to come back to safety. Usually Jensen's. "I'll be fine. The club is safe."

Jared reached out and caught Jensen's wrist. "Nothing can happen to you. Do you understand me?"

The fierceness in Jared's tone and the intensity of his grip rattled Jensen a little. He flexed his wrist without trying to break free. He _knew_ Jared would never hurt him; all that strength was his way of keeping the walls of the fortress braced. "I understand. But, I'm going to work."

They continued to stare at each other for a few more moments, then Jared released Jensen's wrist. His trembling fingers returned to the button on his shirt, but Jensen pushed them aside and took over.

When he'd finished buttoning the shirt, Jensen smoothed his hands down the front of it. "Everything is fine. And you are beautiful when you're freshly showered."

A few different expressions moved across Jared's face. Then he smiled and shrugged his shoulders to adjust his shirt. "Are you used to getting your way?"

"Not at all," Jensen answered with a smile on his face.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

Laughing, Jensen went up slightly onto his toes and slanted his mouth over Jared's for a long, gentle kiss. Just as the heat was beginning to bubble to life inside him once more he sank back down onto his heels. "Come on. I can't be late for work. My boss can be kind of a jerk."

Jared simply raised an eyebrow.

-=-=-=-

They arrived at the Dead Reckoning about fifteen minutes before Jensen's shift. Jared punched the code into the panel by the back door and held the door open for Jensen.

The air in the club was warm and dry. The crowd was sparse but there was a line up at the bar, so Jensen headed straight there to help Danneel.

Danneel did a double-take when she saw Jared and Jensen walking in together. She looked surprised and pleased at the same time.

"She's going to annoy me, isn't she," Jared said as they paced towards the bar.

"Just think of it as… giving her approval," Jensen answered as they arrived at the bar.

"You two look… pleased with yourselves," Danneel said.

"I am," Jared said quickly but then he turned to Jensen. "You can't stay here anymore."

"What?!" Danneel and Jensen both said at the same time.

Jared shot Danneel a brief look to silence her then turned back to Jensen. He stepped in close to Jensen, hands curving protectively over his hips. "You can't stay here anymore. Stay with me."

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Jensen looked into those hazel eyes, thinking about how familiar they were already. He could hardly remember what it had felt like before those eyes.

Jared leaned in closer. "Jensen? Please move in with me? Tonight. I don't want to go home if you're not there."

It was a much better ask than Jensen had expected. It wasn't that he'd thought for even a moment that he would say no, but he wanted Jared to remember, to _know_ that it was his decision. He stared at Jared, a slight smile growing on his face. “Okay.”

“Yes?” Jared asked with a look of disbelief on his face.

Jensen nodded and hardly had time to take a breath before Jared yanked him against his chest and crushed their mouths together. The kiss sent sparks flying down Jensen’s spine and he shivered in Jared’s embrace.

Jensen kissed Jared until he had to pull back and gasp for air. Jared wiped his bottom lip with his thumb as he stepped back.

“Oh, don’t stop on my account,” Danneel said from across the bar.

Jensen laughed and shook his head as he glanced at her before turning back to Jared. “Meet me after my shift.”

“I will,” Jared answered quickly. He sighed, straightened his jacket and walked a few steps backward. “See you later.”

Jensen nodded and Jared finally turned and walked towards the stairs to his office.

“Bye, Jared,” Danneel called out.

Jared simply held his hand up without turning around.

Jensen wandered around to the gate and slipped behind the bar before shrugging out of his jacket. “Looks busy, I’d better get to work.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Danneel answered quickly. “Cindy can cover things for a bit. I need details.”

Laughing, Jensen felt his heart swell. So many new things. So many _good_ things. He hoped there were many more to come.


End file.
